Julianne Moore has credited the longevity of her marriage to Bart Freundlich to them simply enjoying one another's company.

The actress, 64, has been married to director Bart, 55, for 22 years and has now opened up about what keeps them together when asked to reveal the secret of their successful relationship.

Julianne told People: "I think you have to enjoy being together. If you don't want to be with someone, you won't be with them, you won't spend time with them, you won't invest in them and their lives.

"And I think that building a life together is a big thing."

She added about relationships in general: "It does take time. Children are a big part of that too. You're both invested in these other human beings and you're growing and developing them together.

"But it is just about being together and working as a team."

Julianne met Bart in 1996 when he directed her in The Myth of Fingerprints.

They married in August 2003 in a small ceremony in New York City attended by their two children - Caleb, born in December 1997, and Liv, born April 2002.

In August this year, Julianne marked her and Bart's wedding anniversary with an Instagram post featuring images from the day alongside a news article.

She captioned it: "Happy anniversary baby. 22 years later and I still don't know why the theme was purple. (Purple heart emoji.)"

Bart's writing and directing credits include World Traveler and Trust the Man, both of which starred Julianne.

Their professional collaboration began with The Myth of Fingerprints, the independent drama that led to them being introduced.

Tributes from friends followed Julianne's anniversary post.

Actress Naomi Watts said online at the time: "Happy anniversary (hand-clapping emoji) love you guys (red heart emoji.)"

Jewellery designer Margery Hirschey commented on Julianne's reference to her wedding colour scheme, writing: "Because purple looks beautiful on redheads??? Happy Anniversary!"

Julianne, who has won an Academy award, an Emmy and a Screen Actors Guild award, now balances her acting career with family life in New York.