Denzel Washington isn’t known for talking about his love life, but he took a moment to confess the secret to a happy marriage with wife Pauletta.

The 61-year-old star has been with his wife for 33 years now, and the two share four children together with no end in sight. Now he says that the secret is being married to someone who “knows about love” and who knows the things he doesn’t.

He told Extra: “I didn’t know everything there was to know about love, but I married a woman who did and how to share that.”

The comments come as he stars in the film Fences, depicting a prominent baseball player (Denzel) who creates tension in the family by denying his son’s dream of playing football. To further complicate matters, the teenager then comes home with a baby he had through an affair.

Denzel had recently claimed that the film – who was adapted from a 1985 play by August Wilson – still has a relatable story because this situation “could happen to anyone.”

He explained: “The circumstances, again, are universal. It could happen to anyone. I don’t know if it’s more political now given the election or whatever, but it’s a long way from Troy to now because now we’re post-Obama even.”

And Denzel says that the movie’s subject matter could apply to any background and ethnicity.

Asked how white Americans can relate to the movie, Denzel previously explained: “It could be that it’s not that different. Circumstances, no matter what the color is, could be similar. Troy’s whole [resentment of his lack of success as a baseball player] … was it his color or was he just too old? I think he was just too old regardless of his color. Or, as his friends said, ‘He just come along too early.'”