Greta Gerwig Shares Why She and Noah Baumbach Decided to get Married (Exclusive)

Greta Gerwig took a moment to chat with ET's Denny Directo at the 35th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala, where she shared her excitement about the overwhelmingly positive reception of her latest directorial venture, Barbie. 

Greta reflected on anticipating if Barbie would become a heavy contender for the award season during its creation. 

"Honestly, I was just so happy that the audience responded the way that it did. It was like that was the biggest gift I could ever be given as a filmmaker because I make movies that I hope connect with people. So, this is all like a cherry on top of a cherry on top of, I mean it’s amazing," said 40-year-old Gerwig. 

Drawing a parallel between the fervor surrounding Barbie and the phenomenon of James Cameron's 1997 movie Titanic, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, Gerwig shared her thoughts on the comparison. "Well, I can speak to that because I was part of the Titanic fever. I mean, I don't know if what was in my heart when I saw Titanic was in people's hearts when they saw Barbie, but I’m very honored that you make that comparison."

Three weeks after its July 2023 debut in theaters, Barbie surpassed $1 billion at the box office, making Gerwig the first female director to hit this box office milestone as a solo director.

The 40-year-old joins a small group of people who have the sole directing credit on a billion-dollar movie in Hollywood's history. She now holds the box office record for women directors, which Patty Jenkins last set with Wonder Woman in 2017. That film raked in more than $800 million.

The conversation then shifted to a more personal note as Gerwig opened up about her surprise wedding to longtime partner Noah Baumbach. The couple, who first met on the set of the 2010 film Greenberg and began dating in 2011, opted for a low-key ceremony at New York City Hall in December. 

When asked about the sudden decision to tie the knot after 12 years together, Gerwig explained, "We wanted to do it, we kept waiting for a moment to make a big wedding, but suddenly we were like, 'We'll do a big wedding at some point, but let's just do it.' And we were like, 'Let's go to city hall, and let's go to Billy Joel.'"

Expressing her surprise at the change in dynamic after marriage, Greta remarked, "Yeah, it does, isn't that crazy?" She also revealed that Baumbach, an acclaimed filmmaker who co-wrote Barbie with her, was in New York with their two children, but she had the company of Barbie stars Margot Robbie and America Ferrera at the gala.

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