Adam Brody Opens Up About Being 'Smitten Instantly' with Leighton Meester — Even Though She Was 'Elusive'

The Fleishman Is in Trouble star gushed about the moment he first met his wife, Leighton Meester, on the latest episode of the Stitcher Studios podcast Podcrushed

Adam Brody was head over heels for Leighton Meester since the moment they first met.

The Fleishman Is in Trouble star, 43, gushed about his wife, 37, on the latest episode of the Stitcher Studious podcast Podcrushed while detailing how their relationship began.

"I think the first time I saw her is when I met her at Canters, the Deli in Los Angeles," recalled Brody while speaking with hosts Penn Badgley, Sophie Ansari, and Nava Kavelin.

According to the actor, Meester was at the eatery with CW producer Josh Schwartz and Gossip Girl cast members.

"That's when I saw her, and, yeah, I was smitten instantly. And I was, you know, smitten for a long time. I didn't get to know her for many years after, even though we even worked together briefly," confessed The O.C. alum. "She's so lovely, and she's so sweet."

Related:Leighton Meester and Adam Brody's Relationship Timeline

While he was interested in Meester, Brody explained that she approached their relationship quite differently.

"She's so nice. She's so good. And yet, and this is to her credit, she remained elusive to me for so long, you know, and aloof," he recalled. "I couldn't get a total read because even though she professes to have been interested in me and all those things, not only did she not pursue that, I mean, she was perfectly willing to let that never happen."

He continued to joke that she was "perfectly willing to let that message in the bottle return to sea at several points."

Brody also recalled the excuse his now-wife gave him at the time to keep him on his toes. "She says, 'Oh, it's because I knew if we did, it would be a thing,' you know, or like it's too powerful," he shared.

Related:Adam Brody Says He and Leighton Meester Got Married 'Very Fast' — It Was an 'Easy' Decision

Brody and Meester first worked together during the filming of 2011's The Oranges and made their first public outing as a couple on June 26, 2013, at the premiere of his film, Some Girl(s).

After marrying in 2014, the couple became parents to 7-year-daughter Arlo Day and welcomed a son in 2020.

Related:Adam Brody and Leighton Meester Make Red Carpet Appearance at Fleishman Is in Trouble Premiere

In October 2020, Brody opened up to PEOPLE about being a father, shortly after the arrival of the couple's second child together.

"It's been pretty magical," Brody said. "It's such a crazy time for everyone and we're so, so, so fortunate that we have some of the security we do and have the flexibility with our jobs we do. We talk about it all the time and we're just ridiculously fortunate and lucky."

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Meester has also previously discussed Brody's role as a father to their two kids telling Access Hollywood in 2022, "I get the joy and the pleasure of watching him become a father. He's everything that I imagined he would be as a father when we [first] decided to have kids. It is really amazing he has become that and [is] becoming every day more so."

She also spoke to his strengths as a girl dad. "He has a real understanding... and kindness to me in all the ways that I feel so empowered in my femininity. I see him connecting with our daughter in that way. I think it's innate for him," Meester added.

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