Famous Hollywood actor Jeff Bridges has said in the past that he’s “bad at romance”. Despite that, he’s been married to his wife Susan Geston since 1977. He says that it was love at first sight. Though they’ve had their ups and downs throughout the years, he can’t imagine his life without her.
Jeff Bridges Was Captivated By His Wife From The Moment He Met Her
Jeff Bridges met his wife Susan while he was filming Rancho Deluxe in Montana. He first set eyes on her while on location and she just happened to work there. At the time, however, she had two black eyes and a broken nose from a recent car accident. (1)
“Something about her beauty and disfigurement kept me riveted. Every time I snuck a peek, she’d catch me. After work, I got up the courage to ask her, “Would you like to go out with me?” She said no. I asked her again, and she said, “No — it’s a small town; maybe we’ll run into each other later.” He wrote.
Apparently, it was fate because a couple of nights later while out on the town he saw her at a bar. They danced and Bridges says that’s the night he fell in love. Their first official date was the next day when Jeff Bridges invited Sue to come along with him to a real estate appointment to view a property.
As the pair walked around the river ranch house, he had the thought that he was looking around the home with his future wife. The thought panicked him a bit, however, because he didn’t feel ready for a commitment quite so grand.
“I felt cornered, not by Sue but by myself. I couldn’t bear to let the love of my life slip through my fingers, but at the same time I was afraid of declaring, “This is the one!” I was crazy in love, but I came from such great parents and didn’t know if either Sue or I had that in us.”
Will You Marry Me?
Despite his fears, he knew he couldn’t give Susan up. After a couple of years of dating, he finally worked up the courage to ask her to marry him. He admits that in the back of his mind he had the idea that he could always get a divorce if necessary.
“Thank God I finally got with the program. It’s true, you close one door, but the door you open is a long hallway lined with more incredible doors — like children, grandchildren, deeper intimacy with your wife, and so many other things that would not be available to you without marriage,” he explained. “Frightening as it was for me, there was also the sense of deeply opening my heart.”
He Has Learned A Lot From Her
The movie star says that he has learned a lot from his wife. He says that she shows her another way of looking at things. She also knows what scares him and why, and reminds him that he is fully capable of whatever it is he is trying to do.
“We’ve been doing this so long, and we care for each other so much, that our relationship is the most precious thing for both of us.”
Of course, no relationship is perfect. They don’t always see eye-to-eye. Despite having been together for 47 years, they recognize that there are still things that they don’t know about each other. Rather, Jeff Bridges sees conflict with his wife as an opportunity to learn to love her even more.
“We do have one ancient war, which runs: You just don’t get me; you don’t know me; you don’t understand. It’s true. I don’t entirely know Sue; I never will, and she won’t know me, really. But with each battle, we come closer to realizing that this “not knowing” is what we have in common. We know we’ll experience our stuff, have tough times, but we’re doing it together.”
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A Bond To Last A Lifetime
Together the couple has three daughters and has since welcomed grandchildren into the family. He still sticks on that it’s the tough times that bring them closer together as a couple and as a family. His previous lymphoma diagnosis was one of those difficult times. With the love and support of his family, however, he knew he could overcome it.
“The easy answer about how you keep a marriage going is you don’t get a divorce,” he said. “It’s when those big challenges, those upsets come up in your relationship, those are real opportunities to get to know each other more and to become more intimate with each other and try to see what makes each other tick.” (2)
We could all certainly learn a thing or two from Jeff Bridges and his wife Susan. Here’s to wishing them many more years of health and happiness.
“If you’re married you’ll have tough times. It’s what you do when you reach those times that makes a strong marriage. You draw a line and then if your partner crosses that line do you say “Well, that’s it!” or “Am I going to enlarge my concept of what love is?” If you open your heart, then the object of your love becomes so precious because you are so open. And that philosophy, that caring, spreads.” (3)
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Sources
- “How Jeff Bridges Fell in Love With a Girl Named Sue.”The Good Housekeeping. Jeff Bridges. February 26, 2014.
- “Jeff Bridges carries photo in his wallet from day he met his wife 45 years ago.” Today. Scott Stump. October 20, 2020.
- “”Jeff Bridges: My family values.” The Guardian. Elaine Lipworth. June 19, 2010.