Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor’s real-life romance has a sweet ‘Meet the Parents’ connection

See more of our coverage in your search results. Christine Taylor revealed that her husband, Ben Stiller, pulled off a surprise proposal while filming “Meet the Parents” — and it had a sweet connection to the movie’s plot. The “Brady Bunch Movie” star told Page Six that Stiller was preparing to pop the question while shooting the 2000 comedy, just as his character, Greg Focker, was planning to do the same. “The story is simultaneous [with our lives],” Taylor told Page Six at the “Focker-in-Law” premiere on Wednesday. “He was getting ready to propose to me as he was shooting. He was literally asking my dad for my hand in marriage, unbeknownst to me, so it was a little bit of life imitating art.” “But as Ben has said before, my dad wasn’t quite as intimidating as Bob De Niro’s character!” she joked. Ben Stiller proposed to Christine Taylor as he was getting ready to film “Meet the Parents.” The couple was pictured attending the premiere for “Focker-in-Law” on Wednesday. Getty Images Stiller played a character getting ready to propose in the 2000 film. ©Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection Taylor, 55, revealed that Stiller, 60, surprised her while she was in Los Angeles and she believed he was in New York rehearsing for “Meet the Parents.” Unbeknownst to her, the “Zoolander” star had flown to LA and arranged for her friends and family to gather at her home while she was at the movies. “I was driving to my house, and oh, my garage clicker isn’t working, and oh, shoot, I’ve got to park the car and go in the front door, and when I started to walk up the front steps, the door was open, rose petals were lining the rooms,” Taylor remembered. Taylor, seen here in 2001, shared that Stiller’s real-life proposal was “absolutely perfect in every way. It was so beautiful.” WireImage They separated after 17 years of marriage but later reconciled. Corbis via Getty Images “He had flown in; my whole family was involved. I couldn’t believe it,” she added. “I really pride myself on…it’s very hard to surprise me, let’s put it that way.” “It was absolutely perfect in every way. It was so beautiful.” The couple met on set in 1999 and tied the knot the following year. They share two children, daughter Ella, 24, and son Quinn, 21, and have starred in several movies together, including “Zoolander.” The couple starred in “Zoolander” in 2001. ©Paramount/Courtesy Everett Collection “Meet the Parents” was followed by a 2004 sequel, “Meet the Fockers.” ©Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection They separated in 2017 but later reconciled after living together during the COVID-19 pandemic. In an interview earlier this year, Taylor revealed that the pair “found the way back” to each other after they devoted “a lot of time” to working on their relationship with a therapist. “I think it’s something people don’t love to talk about because it feels like a failure.” Want more celebrity and pop culture news? Start your day with Page Six Daily. Thanks for signing up! Ariana Grande stars alongside Stiller in “Focker-in-Law.” ©Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection Stiller and Taylor brought along their son, Quinn, to the premiere. ZUMAPRESS.com “Meet the Parents” spawned two sequels, 2004’s “Meet the Fockers” and 2010’s “Little Fockers.” The latest installment, “Focker-in-Law,” hits theaters on Thanksgiving and reunites original cast members Robert De Niro, Blythe Danner, Teri Polo and Owen Wilson, alongside newcomer Ariana Grande. Other stars at Wednesday’s premiere, held at New York City’s Beacon Theatre, included Mike Myers, Adam Scott, Rosanna Arquette, Jon Cryer and Rachel Zegler. Community Guidelines Welcome to the Page Six Community! Our community is about connecting people through open and thoughtful conversations. We want our readers to share their views and exchange ideas in a safe space. In order to do so, we've created a simple set of rules that will improve your experience. Simply put, keep it civil. Your post will/might be rejected if it contains: Spam Insults, profanity, incoherent, obscene or inflammatory language and threats of any kind Attacks on the identity of other commenters or the article's author User accounts will/might be blocked if we notice: Continuous attempts to re-post comments that have been previously moderated/rejected Racist, sexist, or homophobic comments Attempts or tactics that put the site security at risk So, how can you be a power user? Stay on topic and share your passion. Feel free to elaborate to get your point across. 'Like' or 'Dislike' when you are filled with emotions! Protect your community. Use the report tool to alert us when someone breaks the rules. Thanks for reading our community guidelines. Don't forget, freedom of speech is not the freedom of reach!