Dolph Lundgren has unveiled what he considers the ‘secret’ to maintaining a strong marriage.
The Swedish actor, renowned for his roles in films like Rocky IV, Creed II, and The Expendables, became an American citizen with his spouse, Emma Krokdal, in the previous year.
Krokdal, who is 38 years younger than Lundgren, married the Hollywood actor in 2023. This is Lundgren’s second marriage, following a nearly 20-year union with Anette Qviberg.
Although his marriage with Krokdal is still fresh, Lundgren believes he has discovered a ‘secret’ for keeping it robust.
“I have this new thing, I have to give her a hug, a nice big hug, 10 times a day,” he shared with Fox News.
“I try to get a few before lunch,” Lundgren added. “So I still have some in the bank [throughout the day]. It sounds simple and a little goofy, but doing that neutralizes a lot of disagreements and misunderstandings. And it makes us both feel good. That’s my new recipe now.”
The actor, famous for his role in Rocky, elaborated: “When you have disagreements, somebody wants to be right, but the other person also wants to be right. But you have to make your partner feel good, even when you both have disagreements.
“That phrase [‘happy wife, happy life’] is true. You have to respect each other. You have to compliment each other.”
In another part of Hollywood, Robert Downey Jr. and his wife, Susan, adhere to a ‘two-week rule’ to keep their marriage healthy.
The Iron Man actor has been wed to Susan Downey since 2003 and they have two children together: Exton, born in 2012, and daughter Avri, born in 2014.
Downey also has a 31-year-old son, Indio, with his former partner Deborah Falconer.
Revealing the practice that has sustained their marriage for so long, Susan previously told PEOPLE: “We do have a two-week rule, which often feels too long, but we don’t go more than two weeks without seeing each other and the family being together.”
“Fortunately, we prefer to be a traveling circus when we can be,” she added.
Susan credited her role as a producer for granting her more flexibility compared to her husband’s on-camera commitments.
“The good news is I’m not in front of the camera, and so as a producer I end up with a little bit more flexibility in terms of location, of where I would need to be,” she explained.