Inside Adam Brody and Leighton Meester’s Love Story: ‘There Were Many False Starts’ for the Couple

Adam Brody was grabbing a bite to eat at Canter’s Deli in L.A. when the cast of Gossip Girl walked in. “I was smitten instantly,” the O.C. alum, 44, said of laying eyes on wife Leighton Meester for the first time. “To her credit, she remained elusive to me for so long. And aloof! I couldn’t get a total read because even though she professes to have been interested in me, not only did she not pursue that, but she was perfectly willing to let that never happen.”

Adam and Leighton, 38, would later reconnect on the set of their 2011 film, The Oranges , but the timing wasn’t right. “There were many false starts,” admitted the actor, who was in a relationship at the time.

The couple finally got it right, though, in 2013. Less than a year later, Adam and Leighton tied the knot, and they are now parents to two children, daughter Arlo, 9, and a 4-year-old son whose name has not yet been revealed.

“Pick someone good,” the Nobody Wants This star said of the secret to finding the One. “Not that it doesn’t take sacrifice and humility — but if you’re with someone wonderful, I think [you’ve already won].”