Kyra Sedgwick and Kevin Bacon Share Secrets of Their 35-Year Marriage: 'Sense of Humor Is Crucial'

Kevin Bacon says it was love at first sight when he spotted Kyra Sedgwick on the set of the PBS movie Lemon Sky in 1987.

"I was knocked out," he tells PEOPLE. "I thought she was amazing." At the time, Bacon already had a taste of fame thanks to his role as small-town rebel Ren in the 1984 dance drama Footloose, but Sedgwick hadn't seen the film and was a little put off by the handsome rising star: "I remember thinking, 'Oh, he thinks he's really cool.' "

After a little convincing, she agreed to a date. The two went to dinner and ended up talking and laughing for hours. But Sedgwick says it was how she felt the next day that made her realize he was the one.

"I remember waking up and going, 'I feel like home,' " she says. "I realized, 'Oh, that was him.' "

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Now, for more than three decades, the couple have built a home together while balancing successful careers and raising their son Travis, 33, and daughter Sosie, 31. "We've always been each other's biggest support and fans," says Sedgwick, who recently directed Bacon in the drama Space Oddity, about a young man who dreams of escaping to Mars after tragedy strikes.

She adds that being able to make each other laugh has been a key ingredient in their 35-year marriage. "A sense of humor is crucial," says Sedgwick. "He is very freaking funny."

Sedgwick, who won an Emmy in 2010 for her hit TV series The Closer, hopes to do more directing in the future. "I love being in charge of the storytelling," she says.

Meanwhile, Bacon says he's never seen his wife happier at work than when she is behind the camera. "She just absolutely adores directing. You can't be a crew or a cast member and not get swept up in that [excitement]," says Bacon, who directed Sedgwick in the 2005 film Loverboy.

When they're not working, the down-to-earth couple like to enjoy life's quieter moments together.

"To me, walking down the street together just shooting the s--- in the middle of the night still feels like a nice place to be," says Bacon.

For more on Kyra Sedgwick and Kevin Bacon's epic love story, pick up this week's issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday.

Space Oddity is in theaters and available on demand Friday.

Watch the full episode of People Cover Story: Kevin Bacon & Kyra Sedgwick below