The couple met and fell in love at a party but 10 days later he was on location in the Philippines - and calls back to his lady love weren't cheap.

"There were no cell phones," he explains, "so it was $5 a minute to make a phone call... and we were on for three to six hours, each call.

"I didn't make a nickel on that movie... We were like a couple of teenagers at a deli kicking our feet up... I was just smitten."

Brolin and Babs have been married for 17 years, but he admits even they've had low points.

"We've called a referee a couple of times," he reveals. "A real one. Great guy. He says, 'What are you doing?' And it (conflict) goes, poof. I highly recommend this to most people who resist any kind of advice for marriage. It really works.