Adam Brody and Leighton Meester would make Seth Cohen and Blair Waldorf proud with their witty rapport.
The pair sat down to chat about their relationship, parenthood, favorite movies and even their favorite cult in a new interview with Interview magazine. In the article, published on Friday, December 22, Brody, 44, takes the driver’s seat and asks questions to Meester, 37, to promote her new holiday rom-com EXmas, streaming now on Prime Video.
The actors have been married since 2014 and share two children. They typically keep their relationship and family out of the spotlight but weren’t afraid to share some previously unknown details about their lives in their conversation.
“This is one of the more funny things that I think we’ve ever done together,” Meester noted at one point. “Only because of the presence of the recording device and how much we yearn to have a full conversation without interruption. It’s just hilarious that we can do this and try to cut through all the flirtation.”
Keep reading for 10 of the most interesting things Us learned from their interview:
1. They Have a Favorite Cult
Brody took it upon himself to ask his wife, ‘What’s your favorite cult?”
“Oh God. There’s so many good ones,” the Gossip Girl alum replied. Brody then shared, “Can I say it? I feel like we’re a NXIVM family.”
Meester agreed, “Yeah, we are a NXIVM household.”
Based in upstate New York, NXIVM was a cult founded by Keith Raniere. Smallville actress Allison Mack was also a prominent member of NXIVM. Both were convicted of sex trafficking among other crimes and sentenced to prison. Raniere is currently serving a 120-year sentence while Mack was released early from her 3-year sentence in 2023.
2. They’re Not Yellers
While the couple discussed acting techniques, Brody pointed out that he’d never seen Meester ‘f–king pissed on screen.”
The actress then asked if he had ever seen her like that in real life, to which he replied, “No.”
“You’re just not a yeller,” Brody added.
“You’re not a yeller either,” Meester said. “I mean, honestly, we’re adults. Who yells? That’s insane.”
3. Meester Doesn’t Take Showers — Only Baths
When Brody asked Meester whether she had taken a bath today, the actress joked that it was “an important question,” and added that it was something she wouldn’t discuss with “almost any other interviewer.”
“But the answer is always yes,” she continued. “There’s no showers happening. It’s a bath. Even if it’s a short one.”
4. They Watch ‘Home Alone’ All Year Round
After saying that she doesn’t have a favorite Christmas movie aside from EXmas, Meester revealed that she and Brody watch Home Alone all year round.
“I guess we watch Home Alone frequently, not just around the holidays,” she said.
“Home Alone is like, the best one,” Brody agreed.
5. Brody Gets Meester ‘The Best Presents’
The couple also discussed Christmas presents, prompting Meester to tell Brody that he gives “the best presents.”
“All the presents that you’ve given me are things that I use every single day,” she continued.
Brody retorted, “I could go either way on that being positive. I’ve literally bought you a frying pan.”
“Yeah, but we use it every single day,” said Meester.
Meester called out some of Brody’s other best gifts, including a Vitamix, a slow cooker, Fleetwood Mac concert tickets and surfing gear.
“You know what to get and then you handle it,” she said.
6. Meester Used Positive Affirmations During Pregnancy
To keep busy on set, Meester said she enjoys yoga in her trailer as well as reciting positive affirmations, noting that she had a specific set of affirmations during pregnancy.
“You’ve heard me say them,” she said.
Brody replied, “I’ve heard the pregnancy ones.”
Meester then recited a pregnancy affirmation: “Natural, normal, healthy and safe.”
7. Paparazzi Broke Into Meester’s Trailer on ‘Gossip Girl’
During a discussion about crazy fan experiences, Brody reminded Meester of a particularly “creepy” moment on the set of Gossip Girl.
“I remember you woke up in your trailer on Gossip Girl and someone was standing over you,” he said.
“Oh yeah. That was creepy,” Meester replied. “That wasn’t a fan, it was paparazzi. But the line is very fine.”
She added, “I haven’t thought about that in a long time and I think I probably just chose not to think about it.”
8. They Love Being Acting Partners
The couple appeared together in 2023’s adventure thriller River Wild, an experience that Meester looked back on fondly.
“You are the person I want to work with all the time,” she said. “You’re my best friend, and the best acting partner that I could ever hope for. It was very familiar, so I felt very safe and comfortable to be doing all those pretty intense scenes.”
9. Meester Struggles With ‘Self-Doubt’ in Motherhood
Meester admitted that while she is “proud of the mom I am” to their two children, she is also “open to a lot of self-doubt and worry.”
“All I can do is take it a day at a time,” she said. “But when I’m with my kids, our kids, I feel like all I can do is be present. Then when I’m working, I miss them like crazy. It’s hard not to feel as a mom that you’re not doing enough and I think that’s always going to be reinforced by our society.”
In response to Brody’s question about how motherhood has impacted her career, Meester noted that it has given her “a lot of compassion, and this whole other level of appreciation for other people and a sensitivity that I don’t think I ever had before.”
10. Meester Loves Losing Her Voice
When discussing career opportunities, Meester said she would love to play a character who sings but doesn’t want to do a Broadway musical due to the physical demands.
“t’s a real marathon,” she said. “Like every single day, eight times a week, and hope. You have to pray you don’t lose your voice, you don’t get sick, you don’t get run down.”
“You love when you lose your voice,” Brody countered, to which Meester agreed, “I love it.”
“It’s psychological,” she added. “Or long Covid. One or the other.”
