Zoe Saldana was furious with Marco Perego before her engagement.

during their appearance The Drew Barrymore Show This week, the couple, who have been married for more than a decade, revealed some of the events leading up to the pivotal moment.

Just before proposing in 2013, the 45-year-old Italian filmmaker walked away from his unsuspecting girlfriend, first seeking permission from his late father Aridio Saldaña. Alidio Saldana died in 1987.

“I said to Zoe, ‘I’m going to New York, I need to do something for work.’ I actually went to the Dominican Republic, thank you [to] Her stepfather and family,” he revealed, explaining that he planned to visit his gravesite.

At his grave, Marco asks Aridio if he can marry Zoe.

But as a “hot Latina” (in Marco’s words), Zoe doesn’t like all the secrecy and deception.

Marco recalls: “When I came back to London, she didn’t know I’d been there. She said ‘Wait, what do you mean? “I said, ‘I’ve been to a place, but you need to wait a few hours and I’ll let you know.’”

Zoe chimed in: “We were in a taxi in London and there was traffic… I just got out of the taxi and I was walking in the middle of the street. It was very dramatic.”

Marco catches up to her and tries to explain himself, but Zoe won’t give up easily.

Eventually, though, he raised the question.

Marco recalled: “I showed her the video [of his conversation with her father] She agreed. ”