Jason Ritter Reveals the Secret to His Successful Marriage With Melanie Lynskey

After marrying Yellowjackets star Melanie Lynskey two years ago, actor and producer Jason Ritter says he's discovered the key to a successful marriage. In an exclusive interview with Us Weekly on Monday, November 7, 2022, the Raising Dion star revealed what he sees as the most unexpected source of marital happiness: growth. “Do the best job you can at listening and being willing to grow and change,” he says. 

Ritter says he thinks that complacency can weaken a relationship, which is why he’s so grateful that his wife challenges him to become the best version of himself. “We all want to be loved for who we are, and that’s absolutely important, but I think that can give you a reason to sort of lay back and relax,” he notes. “And I think what’s incredible in a relationship is if you have a wonderful partner, they can help you grow and help you get to 2.0 if you’re willing to do that. It’s very unlikely that everything you are will match up a hundred percent with the other person. So, where can you change? Where can they change? I think the stubbornness and the unwillingness to grow can be poisonous, and I think if you can do something that can make someone happier, do it.”

One way in which the couple encourages one another to grow is through their careers. In the interview, Ritter reveals that he and his wife regularly help one another improve their acting skills, so he credits his successful marriage to working in the same industry. “We’ll talk about a lot of things,” he remarks. “Definitely we’ve helped put each other on tape and things like that, and it is nice if we are having a problem or if we’re nervous about a scene or if something’s sticking. I really feel like I can ask her. I’m so inspired by her. I think she’s such a wonderful actress, so I feel lucky that I have such a wonderful actor right in the home that I can say like, ‘Hey, just outta curiosity, what would you do in this situation?’ And she really makes me better and helps me. I don’t know how much I help her, but for sure she really helps me.”

Throughout his wife’s career, Ritter has been her number one fan. That support keeps their marriage afloat. The Class actor tells the publication that in the beginning of Lynskey’s career, she starred in a lot of independent films, and now, it’s come full circle. And he's been there every step of the way. “But, it’s just so exciting to see her doing the kinds of roles that she got to do in the independent movies,” Ritter gushes. “You know, interesting, gritty, cool, unexpected things, and see people respond to it the way they are. It’s just amazing and well-deserved.”

Another piece of advice that he has for taking a relationship to new heights is something extremely relatable and manageable. “Just look around and see what you can do in the house," he states. "Can you clean something? Can you throw on a load of laundry? Can you do the dishes? What can you fold? Do things need to be folded? That kind of stuff goes a really long way in just maintaining a partnership of where things don’t feel a little bit more spread out.”

After meeting in 2013 on the set of The Big Ask, the couple started dating. They went on to star in We'll Never Have Paris and The Intervention together. In 2018, they welcomed their first daughter, and in 2020, they hosted their nuptials.