Robin Wright biography

Marriage to Sean Penn

Following the smashing critical and box-office success of Forrest Gump, Wright and Penn wed in 1996, the beginning of a passionate and often tumultuous marriage. Being linked to an incredibly famous man was strange for Robin Wright-Penn, since she never thought of herself as a celebrity: "Famous is celebrityism and I don't want that... I know that I'm not that. Everybody knows who you are, I can't imagine living that life, but I don't think I consider myself famous." For his part, Penn tried to avoid paparazzi and crazed fans, preferring to spend time at the park or the beach with his family. For much of their marriage, she did not work at all and instead led a very private life devoted to her children and her husband. When she did return to acting, she worked closely with her husband; the two starred as star-crossed, unhinged lovers in Nick Cassavetes' She's So Lovely and Wright later played Jack Nicholson's love interest in Penn's third film as a director, The Pledge. In 2004, she said of her then-husband, "It's always been drama in my life with Sean, always. It's pronounced: that's the word I would use for him, in every way —presence, emotional life—'pronounced'. I think it's in his blood. He's always at the heart of something. Never a dull moment..." They pair conducted an off-and-on romance for many years, finally filing for divorce in 2007, followed by a reunion that lasted until the summer of 2010, at which point they divorced for good and she changed her name back from Robin Wright-Penn to simply Robin Wright.

Maturing Actress

Now 44 years old, Wright has time to reflect on her long and successful career as she prepares to take on new challenges in the future: "I'm ready to continue this work of actually not being afraid. I just feel like it took me a long time to grow up and to stop being inhibited in my work. I would read scripts and go, 'Oh, I'm not right. I could never do this. I could never achieve this character. This would be better for somebody else.' I remember calling directors numerous times and saying, 'Oh, you should cast so-and-so instead of me. They're much better for the role.' But I think I've been ready for a few years to just blow open the doors. And I really want to direct something. I think I'll start with a documentary and get my feet wet. But I don't have that fear of jumping off the cliff, where before, I always used to just stop and ask for directions, and you would kind of see that reticence in the work. So now, I'm completely rejuvenated when I get out there, and I'm ready to do more, play more."

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