Noah Baumbach on Greta Gerwig, Kids

This Barbie has made her Ken’s heart a little softer.

Indeed, director Noah Baumbach, who shares two young sons—ages 6 and 2—with wife Greta Gerwig, explained that his relationship with the Barbie director has helped him become a little less guarded over the years.

“I cry a lot now,” he told GQ in an interview published Nov. 12. “I find a lot of life emotional in a good way.”

And what prompted the change? As the 56-year-old put it, “Aging. But also just having children.”

Plus, he added, “Being with Greta.”

According to Noah, the Little Women director—who he started dating shortly after working together on the 2012 movie Frances Ha—helped him to be a little more whimsical and “start to accept” parts of his personality that he used to avoid.

“With Greta and I, we really recognize each other, even though it manifests in different ways sometimes,” he continued. “That helped me gain access to, like, ‘Actually, I am like that.’ She’s like, ‘I love da-da-da.’ And I’m like ‘I do too, why am I not saying I love it?’”