Justin Baldoni recalls how ‘masks of masculinity’ factored into past relationships – until he met his wife
Justin Baldoni opened up about his experiences trying to define himself and date in his 20s on Rainn Wilson’s Soul Bloom podcast.
“When I was in my 20s, I was adapting, as I put it, the different masks of masculinity… like, let me pretend I didn’t care,” he explained.
“And I struggled. You know, I met someone and maybe I liked her, but then I was like, “Don’t text her. I can’t text her.” Why?’
The It Ends With Us actor and director, 40, continued: “So I wouldn’t text her those two days when I had so much anxiety.
‘I thought: I want to tell her that I have these feelings. “I may have been trying to be something I wasn’t before and not text her or call her, but all I wanted to do was share my heart.”
Justin Baldoni opened up about his experiences trying to define himself and date in his 20s on Rainn Wilson’s Soul Bloom podcast. Seen here at the 2024 premiere of It Ends With Us
Continuing to explain his thoughts, he said, “Then, over the course of my twenties, I realized that none of that stuff was working for me.
‘So I started questioning things and when I met my wife it was like a light bulb went off. When I realized what if I just be myself? What if I just be myself and share all parts of me with her?’
Fans reacted positively to his confession, with many admitting they wish more men were so self-respecting, while others said they still do the things the Jane the Virgin star revealed.
One commenter said: ‘Beautiful. I think true masculinity IS being yourself with your partner and sharing your whole self. If you’re afraid of that, it’s more because your ego, fear of rejection or your sense of pride are standing in the way.’
He expressed a similar sentiment in a 2017 interview with Makers and how it all came together for him when he met his wife Emily.
“One of the things I learned from my mother was to trust my intuition, which is something I wish more men would take advantage of,” he said.
“I’ve made the same mistake so many times, looking for something in a package that I thought I would want,” he explained.
“When I met Emily, it was unlike any other experience I’ve had. She had a depth and a grace and a quiet strength that I think I always dreamed of and just knew.”
Baldoni and his wife have been married since 2013
“So I wouldn’t text her those two days when I had so much anxiety. “I thought, I want to tell her that I have these feelings.” Seen here at a pre-Emmy Awards bash in 2024
Fans responded positively to his confession, with many admitting that they wished more men respected themselves like that
Justin proposed to Emily in April 2013 at the Blu Jam Cafe in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles.
The restaurant is the same place where they had their first date.
They married in July 2013 in Corona, California.
Justin and Emily welcomed daughter Maiya in 2015 and son Maxwell in 2017