Richard Gere Reveals 1 Thing He and Wife Alejandra Do Every Day to Keep Marriage Strong

Richard Gere is sharing a little secret about how he and wife Alejandra Silva stay connected and grounded in their marriage.

While recently stepping out to a screening of his documentary Wisdom of Happiness in New York City, the actor, 76, revealed the daily thing that brings him a sense of calm and happiness. “Kissing my wife,” he told Hello! magazine, jokingly adding, “When she lets me, which isn’t all the time.”

Silva, 42, then playfully replied: “Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Otherwise, it would be too easy, right?”

The couple also spoke to the outlet about their shared Buddhist faith — and how it helps them navigate “drama” with their kids, sons Alexander, 6, and James, 5. (Gere is also dad to son Homer, 25, whom he welcomed with ex Carey Lowell, and Silva has a 12-year-old son, Albert, from her previous marriage to Govind Friedland.)

Asked how their faith influences their parenting, Gere told Hello!, “Well, interesting you should bring that up, because we were just having a drama about one of our kids. [Silva] is always really good with [saying], ‘Okay, I know I want to strangle you right now, but I’m going to take a deep breath and we’re going to talk through this. Okay, now what’s going on? I’d like to know what are you feeling.’ ”

For her part, Silva, a publicist, said “there is a lot of patience that is brought into the equation.”

“Introducing the kids to Buddhism and what it means is important,” she added.

Gere then praised Silva for making him a better parent. “She’s an incredible mother that way. I’ve actually learned how to be a better father by watching her,” he said.

Recounting the beginnings of their romance, Silva told Hola! in 2015 that Gere had been a family friend, and they had known each other for more than a decade. They reconnected years later in 2014, and Silva recalled that there was an immediate mutual attraction.

“Our karma was attracted the moment we saw each other,” she said. “I’m not ignoring our age difference and what it means to be with a Hollywood star, but when there’s such a strong karmic energy, the problems disappear.”

The pair married in a secret ceremony in April 2018, and welcomed their older son in February 2019.

In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE last month, Gere opened up about the “key” to happiness and shared that he’s most content when he’s at his home in upstate New York with his wife. (The couple also has a home in Madrid, Spain, where Silva is from.)

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“I’m looking out my window here, and I’m so grateful that the trees and gardens are down there,” the Pretty Woman star said. “I have my piano and guitars and books and stuff, and I have my beautiful wife downstairs and my kids are in school and everyone’s healthy.”

He added, “That’s it. That’s the key to my happiness.”