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Susan Sarandon Says She’s ‘Pretty Open to the Idea’ of Dating and ‘Being With Someone’ in Her 70s
Susan Sarandon has been taking time to reflect on her life and past romances, and she’s shared some surprising discoveries: She’s “pretty open to the idea of being with someone” in her 70s. Considering “this has been the first time” she’s been on her own, it’s “been a real interesting period,” the Oscar winner said during a March 2021 appearance on the “Divorced, Not Dead” podcast.
Susan, 74, opened up about her experience throughout the last year, during which she’s been without a romantic partner. “To not have somebody that gets another vote about everything in my life … [it’s] interesting,” she said to host Caroline Stanbury.
Still, the Thelma & Louise actress and mother of three has always enjoyed being part of a couple. She was married young, to fellow actor Chris Sarandon, but they divorced after 12 years, in 1979. “I never wanted to get married the first time,” she shared. “But I was in college at [Catholic University of America] … and we would’ve gotten kicked out of school. So, we agreed that we would decide every year whether or not to renew [our vows].”
Susan went on to brief relationships with stars David Bowie and Sean Penn, and then director Franco Amurri, from 1984 to 1988, with whom she has a daughter, Eva Amurri, 36. Her longest relationship, at 20-plus years, was with her Bull Durham costar, Tim Robbins. They have two sons, Jack Robbins, 31, and Miles Robbins, 28.
Now, Susan said she’s opened her heart to finding true love again. But based on her past experiences, she has caveats: “It certainly would take something extraordinary to share my medicine cabinet at this point.”
Susan — who became a grandmother again last March, when daughter Eva gave birth to her third child, Mateo — has often dated younger men. In 2015, she ended her five-year relationship with writer-director Jonathan Bricklin, 43. Susan insisted their 31-year age difference wasn’t a problem. “It’s the soul of a person that interests me,” she told Hello! magazine in October 2014. “When you are in love, the questions of age, sex, color no longer hold any importance.”
Nor was age an issue between her and Tim, 62. Rather, she said on the podcast, “he was very jealous of the boys,” once they had their sons. “Part of it was because he didn’t have a close relationship with his mom,” the Rocky Horror Picture Show actress added. “[Our] closeness drove him crazy.”
One reason Susan, an outspoken activist, likes to date younger men is because she finds them as “adventuresome” as she is. “I’m drawn to people who are artists of some kind — not necessarily actors, but anybody who has a passion to create something,” she explained to Caroline. “I can only be with people who are really looking, interested and asking questions.”
The Stepmom alum certainly has the confidence to keep looking for love as she grows older. “I think you have to change your focus on from the way you look to the way you feel,” she told Today in December 2016. “It’s not about being a perfect weight. My body is not effortlessly the way that it was, but I think that it is more about how you feel.”
Susan, who’s currently appearing on the HBO Max series Search Party, is feeling pretty good. With four more projects coming up, the most important thing she’s looking for in a partner is someone who’s also “passionate about what they do. They could be a schoolteacher, or they could be a writer. They could be successful or not successful.” But gentlemen, take note: To date Susan, you need to be “somebody who owns themselves,” the Bull Durham star said on the podcast. And given the past year’s travails, she added, “someone who’s been vaccinated” for COVID-19.
