Since leaving the 90210 ZIP code, the actor has endured cracks about his hair, his rap album, and his flagging career. But he wakes up next to Megan Fox every morning, so who’s laughing now?

Details: Do the paparazzi hound you?
Brian Austin Green: It wasn’t so much of a problem before Megan, but once Transformers hit, that was it. I had never experienced paparazzi on that level, because during 90210 they were still developing pictures and selling them by hand. It was a whole different experience.

Details: Does Megan tease you about this new ab-conscious role?
Brian Austin Green: She does. She busts my balls just enough to make me laugh and not feel self-conscious about what I’m doing. She’s good about it.

Details: You’ve married Megan Fox and turned her into a stepmom—not the role most of us imagine her in.
Brian Austin Green: She is absolutely my better half in parenting. She just gets it. It’s instinctual for her. She loves my son, Kassius. And from the time we started dating—you know, she was 18—she stepped in and took control. It’s unbelievable. At 18, I was like, “Hey, which club is open tonight? And how cool do my pants look? Can I sneak a drink across the bar without getting caught?”

Details: Was the nearly 13-year age difference a concern at any point?
Brian Austin Green: When we met, I had just separated from Kash’s mom and a relationship was the last thing on my mind. It’s not something I ever thought would be serious. But she brought out parts of me that I had lost in my last relationship. I had come off of 90210, and I never wanted to leave my house. I was afraid of the press. I was afraid of people’s opinions of me. I would walk into a Coffee Bean and not want to look the guy behind the counter in the eyes because I was afraid he was thinking, “Oh, that’s that ridiculous guy from 90210 who put out the hip-hop album.” Megan was a big part of boosting my confidence. And at the same time, I was somebody responsible and grounded for her to be around. We just matched.

Details: Your relationship was often described as on-again, off-again.
Brian Austin Green: We’ve been together for six years. Find a picture of one of us with any other boyfriend or girlfriend—I challenge you. You’ll only find pictures of her doing press with Shia LaBeouf or me with my son. That’s it. We never once dated anyone else or did anything else.

Details: Did you ever try to give her advice on navigating the world of celebrity?
Brian Austin Green: You know, in the beginning, she didn’t really want to hear the comparisons, because it was her own crazy road, and it was overwhelming, and she wanted to figure it all out on her own. But now we sit and we share stories, and we’ve found the commonality of it all. It’s the most backwards, fucked-up love story you’ve ever heard. And it worked. And the day that I said, “I do,” I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life. And it was the absolute perfect start to what we hope will be an amazing life together.

Details: She’s a lot more famous than you are right now. Is that intimidating?
Brian Austin Green: I know the normal male thing is the man works and is successful and brings home the paycheck. I don’t know who the hell set it up, but it’s what people expect. I just don’t care. I hated being famous during 90210. I’m not an extrovert. I’m 37. I have a beautiful wife. I have an amazing 8-year-old son. I love acting, but this is just my job. Fuck, next year I could book some crazy movie that blows up and things could shift completely. And I guarantee you at that point she’ll say, “Fuck, thank God. You go do all that shit now. I’m sick of it.”

You can read more of the interview at Detail Magazine!