Ed Burns Reveals the One Marriage Rule He and Christy Turlington Agreed to 'Early on' (Exclusive)

Ed Burns and Christy Turlington have been married since 2003; they share two children, Grace McKenna Burns, 20, and Finn Burns, 18

Ed Burns and Christy Turlington always wanted to make sure one parent was at home for their kids.

While Burns, 56, spoke with PEOPLE at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival on Monday, Sept. 9, the actor and filmmaker said that neither he nor his wife, Turlington, whom he has been married to since 2003, ever traveled at the same time for work.

"I think the big thing for us is, given both of our careers, we absolutely never traveled at the same time," he says, when asked about rules he and Turlington, 55, adhere to for their marriage. "So, we'd look at, if a job came up for me or a job came up for her, we would have to make a decision. If they happened at the same time, someone would have to pass, so that somebody was always home."

"That was the bigger rule that we had. We agreed on that early on, and fortunately it really worked out for us, and I think more importantly, worked out for the kids," he adds.

Related: Ed Burns Gets Personal in Debut Novel, A Kid from Marlboro Road (Exclusive)

Burns, who is at the Toronto-based film festival for the world premieres of his new movie, Millers in Marriage, shares two kids with Turlington: Grace McKenna Burns, 20, and Finn Burns, 18.

The actor noted his and Turlington's newfound "empty nester" status when asked for the impetus behind the film, which follows three middle-aged siblings and the challenges they experience in their marriages, occupations and lifestyles.

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"I would say when I came up in the indie film scene in the mid-'90s, there were dozens of films about Gen Xs," Burns says. "As we hit that kind of coming-of-age moment in your mid-20s where you're starting your careers, you're starting your relationships, and there were dozens of films made about us. Then I find myself in my mid-50s, and there's no films about us anymore. There's no films about the little things that you go through in life."

Related: Ed Burns Shares His Emotions '3 Weeks In' to Being an Empty Nester: 'Wish They Were Still Home' (Exclusive)

"We were characters in films, but there weren't films about us and the life choices we make. That was something I wanted to explore," he adds of the movie, which he directed, wrote and also stars in alongside Morena Baccarin, Benjamin Bratt, Minnie Driver, Brian d'Arcy James, Julianna Margulies and Patrick Wilson.

Burns says, "I also wanted to make a more sophisticated movie for grownups about grownups, and as I looked at my peer group, a lot of us were in this new chapter in our lives. We've become empty nesters. Unfortunately, a lot of our parents had died, and you also then could find yourself career-wise in a place where maybe your career had plateaued."

In addition to Millers in Marriage, Burns tells PEOPLE he has "just finished the script for" a sequel to his 1995 indie hit, The Brothers McMullen. His debut novel, titled A Kid from Marlboro Road, is also available for purchase now, wherever books are sold.

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