Mon May 19 12:50:00 UTC 2025: **Summary:**

Courtney B. Vance shared the secret to his successful 27-year marriage to Angela Bassett at the “Lilo & Stitch” premiere: prioritizing his wife’s happiness and maintaining mutual respect through open communication. He also discussed their grown twins’ college experiences and their potential interest in the film industry.

**News Article:**

**Courtney B. Vance Reveals Secret to 27-Year Marriage to Angela Bassett: “When My Wife is Happy, the Land is Happy”**

**Los Angeles, CA -** At the premiere of his new movie, “Lilo & Stitch,” Courtney B. Vance, 65, shared insights into his nearly three-decade marriage to Angela Bassett, 66. Speaking exclusively to PEOPLE, Vance emphasized the importance of prioritizing his wife’s happiness in their relationship.

“It’s really about when my wife is happy, the land is happy,” Vance explained. He revealed that he always considers Bassett’s preferences when making decisions, stating, “So I just try to [go], ‘Does this work for you, baby?’ It doesn’t work … we’re not doing that.”

Vance highlighted mutual respect and open communication as key pillars of their successful marriage. He stressed the importance of partners authentically sharing their feelings when making big decisions. The couple met as graduate students at Yale in the early 1980s but didn’t begin dating until a chance encounter in New York City in 1994. They married in 1997.

Vance also shared updates on their 19-year-old fraternal twins, Bronwyn Golden and Slater Josiah, who have just finished their freshman year of college. Both are exploring potential careers in the film industry, with Bronwyn possibly majoring in film and sociology, and Slater pursuing acting, filmmaking, and camera work. “I just want them to be happy, as does my wife,” Vance said.

“Lilo & Stitch,” a live-action adaptation of the beloved animated film, hits theaters May 23. While Vance admitted his kids’ perception of his and Bassett’s “coolness” fluctuates, he noted that they certainly achieve “cool” status on the red carpet.

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