Amber Tamblyn and David Cross on How Couples Therapy Helped in Their New Film — and Real Life (Exclusive)

"I don't know any relationship that has lasted past 10 years that hasn't [been in couples therapy]," Tamblyn tells PEOPLE

(Warning: The above clip contains language that may be considered NSFW.)

The secret to Amber Tamblyn and David Cross' long-lasting romance? One word: effort.

In a conversation surrounding their new film You Hurt My Feelings — which PEOPLE is sharing an exclusive clip from — the couple, who have been together for 15 years and married for 10, open up about how they keep their relationship healthy.

"David and I have been in couples therapy before," says Tamblyn, 40, when asked how the pair relate to their characters Carolyn and Jonathan, whose volatile relationship is explored through the lens of therapy sessions in the film.

"I don't know any relationship that has lasted past 10 years that hasn't [been in couples therapy]," the actress adds. "And if it has, then something's wrong with those people if they haven't done couples therapy at some point."

Related: Julia Louis-Dreyfus on Why She Identified with Her 'Devastated' Character in 'You Hurt My Feelings' (Exclusive)

Tamblyn and Cross, 59, also make sure to prioritize each other every chance they get — including nightly dates, in which their 6-year-old daughter Marlow Alice's nanny stays on for an extra hour in the evenings so the couple can have that time together.

"We go to our local favorite little bar in Brooklyn, and we have a drink and we talk about the day or the week. And we do it almost every single night," Tamblyn says. "And it's just sort of a nice moment to have together that feels like two adults enjoying a great date night each night, which I think is really lovely. And we've done that for our whole relationship."

"We always try to find that space for each other," she adds.

As for the advice they'd give Carolyn and Jonathan in the film, Cross says simply, "You've got to work on it. ... I think [our characters were like,] 'Somebody else will fix it.' And they don't seem like they really wanted to do the real work that has to be done."

"And that's just being honest. And I mean, literally, the only piece of advice I would give is just be honest with yourself and with each other," he tells PEOPLE.

"Which is also the whole point of the film is how difficult that is to do," Tamblyn chimes in. "And I understand, for a lot of people, that being that kind of real honest is very scary. It's existentially and psychologically scary to tell someone who you are so tethered to and so intimate with the truth about how you feel."

"And you're afraid you're going to lose them — you're afraid how they're going to react. You're afraid of how that's gonna impact the future of the relationship," she adds. "But in my mind, that's all we've got is to just go out on a limb and do the scary thing for the good of the relationship and for the good of the two people individually, because all growth starts from that point."

In You Hurt My Feelings, Julia-Louis Dreyfus stars as Beth, a novelist whose marriage is suddenly upended when she overhears her husband Don's (Tobias Menzies) honest reaction to her latest book.

Aside from Dreyfus, 62, Menzies, 49, Cross and Tamblyn, the film, written and directed by Nicole Holofcener, also stars Michaela Watkins, Arian Moayed, Owen Teague and Jeannie Berlin.

Related: Julia-Louis Dreyfus Plays a Writer with Trust Issues in 'You Hurt My Feelings' Trailer

Cross and Tamblyn's characters are a couple who are at odds with one another, bickering in Don's therapy office as he tries (unsuccessfully) to help them find common ground.

While the duo have collaborated professionally multiple times in the past, You Hurt My Feelings marks the first feature film Tamblyn and Cross have acted in together.

And since they've attended couples therapy themselves, "We knew the dynamic a little bit and it was fun," Tamblyn says. "We just got to play off of each other."

"And that couple's relationship with each other and to the therapist — you know, that's the whole movie," Cross adds. "The idea of the movie writ small. It's just about honesty and little white lies and how useless they are."

You Hurt My Feelings is in theaters now.

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