Their first date involved property surfing. At that point, a voice in Jeff's head said, "You are now looking at a house with your future wife."
Some love stories remind us of those rom-coms where the couple continues to live happily ever after. This applies true to actor Jeff Bridges and Susan Geston who have been married for four decades and they still feel like kids. According to Good Housekeeping, it all started when Bridges was shooting for the 1975 film, Rancho Deluxe in Paradise Valley, Montana. Geston worked as a waitress there and the romance of a lifetime was about to begin. “I’m doing this scene with Sam Waterston and Harry Dean Stanton and I cannot take my eyes off this gorgeous, I didn’t know what she was, a maid, a waitress, I couldn’t take my eyes off of her,” Bridges told PEOPLE. He added that she was, a "Gorgeous girl with two black eyes and a broken nose. That juxtaposition of that disfigurement and the beauty, it had me!" He would later find out she suffered these injuries from an accident.
It was not easy from the beginning. As he looked at her, Geston caught him staring each time. Finally, after the shoot got over, he went up to her, complimented her, and asked her out. She refused twice. Bridges explained, when he "finally got the courage to ask her out” she, “said no," and “I said, ‘really?'” However, it was a small town and they met again when "she came to the wrap party and we danced and we fell in love, and boom that was it."
Their first date happened when Jeff invited Geston for property surfing and they went to a ranch close to a river. At that point, a voice in Jeff's head said, "You are now looking at a house with your future wife." He was surprised by his thought and afraid that he would lose his freedom. But he could not let the love of his life go.
Two years after their date, they tied the knot and went on to become parents of three children. They have now been married for four decades. They have seen plenty of good times and rough weather together. Jeff once said, "We are quite different as people, and we celebrate that rather than making it drive us apart. I respect her wisdom, and I'm sure the girls do too. I've really been blessed." He also mentioned in his book, The Dude and the Zen Master, how she has helped him overcome his fears.
The 72-year-old added that they care for each other so much and have realized that their relationship is the most precious thing. He was also asked the secret to a strong relationship in Hollywood and he replied, "The easy answer about how to keep a marriage going is you don’t get a divorce," adding, “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 become more intimate with each other, try to see what makes each other tick.”
In 2020, tough times came for the couple as Jeff was diagnosed with Lymphoma. He was treated with chemotherapy and it worked for him. However, he soon contracted COVID-19 at a time when vaccines were not available. According to E Online, he was hospitalized for four months. and fought to survive during this time. During these testing times, his wife told the hospital staff, "save his life. No matter what you have to do," Finally, he recovered and is now back home with his loving wife and family.
References:
https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/inspirational-stories/interviewsa14280/jeff-bridges-marriage/
https://people.com/movies/jeff-bridges-wife-said-no-dating-him-first-met/
Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Photo By Frazer Harrison
