Gabe Ginsberg/WireImage Mark and Marilou Hamill shared some of their best marriage advice with PEOPLE after nearly 50 years of marriage The couple, who share three children, tied the knot in 1978 at their home in Malibu, Calif. The two spoke with PEOPLE about their beloved community of Big Rock during a recent conversation about the new documentaryBig Rock Burning, which chronicles the impact of this year's L.A. wildfires on the Malibu neighborhood Nearly 50 years after tying the knot,MarkandMarilou Hamillknow a thing or several about what makes a marriage work. After meeting in the mid '70s at a dental office where Marilou worked as a dental hygienist, the couple wed in December 1978 at their home in Malibu, Calif. Now, almost five decades andthree kids later, Marilou tells PEOPLE that from her experience, when it comes to marriage, "Don't sweat the little stuff." "And also, go in knowing you're not going to change anyone. So you have to accept their quirks and their behavior," Marilou adds before Mark humorously interrupts: "What quirks?" Ethan Miller/FilmMagic Mark agrees, saying it's both about "acceptance" as well as "communication." "I just think that when you find the right one, the odds are against you," theStar Warsactor adds. "But if you do get lucky, you just have to hang on and be grateful that you were able to find that one." The Hamills shared their marriage advice during a recent conversation with PEOPLE about the new documentaryBig Rock Burning, which the couple executive produced. The two reflected on their community of 47 years — the Big Rock neighborhood in Malibu — and the home they had to leave amid the L.A. wildfires earlier this year. "We got married there, We raised our kids there. It's a very, very special property," Marilou says. The film, which had an exclusive preview screening hosted by the Malibu Film Society and the City of Malibu on Aug. 29 at Malibu City Hall, tells the stories of those in Big Rock who were "left to face the fires alone," per the opening credits of the film, and includes devastating footage of the rubble left where homes once stood. The documentary's focus is largely how Big Rock's residents feel their local government was negligent in their preparation for the natural disaster. And, once the fires made it to their neighborhood, they say there was no emergency response as the area was considered too dangerous. While their home is still standing, the Hamills have yet to return as "it's toxic with chemicals," Mark explains. "I'm so thankful and grateful that our house survived," Marilou says. "But I just didn't realize the ramifications of it." Big Rock Burning,which has a producing team that includes Julie Parker Benello, James Costa and executive producerRicki Lake, will have an Oscar-qualifying theatrical run from Sept. 12-18 at the Laemmle in Santa Monica. Read the original article onPeople
