Jeff Bridges met his wife in 1975 in Montana while shooting "Rancho Deluxe" and couldn't take his eyes off her.
The most incredible part of having a spouse is that you don't have to handle the hard parts of life alone. For most couples, being able to come home and vent about their bad day or share the good parts of their day might be their favorite thing to do together. We may not realize it but it gives us comfort to know that we have someone who listens. It is a simple thing to do and yet, it means a lot. Long-term relationships are fulfilling because our partner becomes the person we show our most vulnerable parts to.
Jeff Bridges, 70, and Susan Geston, 67, have one of the most long-lasting marriages in Hollywood. Bridges met Geston on a Montana movie set in 1975, and they have been together ever since. The couple has three daughters, Isabelle, 39, Jessica, 37, and Haley, 35, and three grandkids.
The first time he saw Susan, he couldn't take his eyes off her. "Not only was she gorgeous, but she had two black eyes and a recently broken nose (from a car accident, I later learned). Something about her beauty and disfigurement kept me riveted. Every time I snuck a peek, she'd catch me," he wrote in Good Housekeeping.
At the end of the day, he got the courage to ask her out, but she said no. "I asked her again, and she said, 'No — it's a small town; maybe we'll run into each other later.' Those words proved to be prophetic, and one night in town we danced, and I fell in love," he added.
He was shooting for Rancho Deluxe at the time and also intended to buy a ranch in Montana. His first official date with Geston turned out to be a visit to see a property. At the ranch, a voice in his head said, "You are now looking at a house with your future wife." That scared him, and he thought, "Oh, no, let me outta here." The Big Lebowsky actor said, "I felt cornered, not by Sue but by myself. I couldn't bear to let the love of my life slip through my fingers."
However, he was also afraid of acknowledging her as the "one" for him. It took him another two years to ask her to marry him. They got married in 1977 and have not wavered in their love. 10 years later, he received a letter from the makeup artist for Rancho Deluxe, saying that he took two photos of the first moment Bridges and Geston talked to each other. Bridges acquired the photos and he keeps one of them in his wallet even now, according to Today.
"Somebody just took a picture of that and I have that," he said.
The Mirror Has Two Faces actor recently announced that he was diagnosed with lymphoma, and his wife of 43 years is going to be right beside him during this time. "As the Dude would say.. New S**T has come to light. I have been diagnosed with Lymphoma. Although it is a serious disease, I feel fortunate that I have a great team of doctors and the prognosis is good. I’m starting treatment and will keep you posted on my recovery," he wrote on Twitter.
"I’m profoundly grateful for the love and support from my family and friends. Thank you for your prayers and well wishes. And, while I have you, please remember to go vote. Because we are all in this together. Love, Jeff," he added.
Well-wishers wrote to him saying that they would pray for him to get better soon. "Strikes and gutters, ups and downs, you’re going to beat this, dude. And we are all praying for you," wrote politician Adam Schiff. "You’re a fighter. You can beat this," said George Takei.
References:
https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/inspirational-stories/interviews/a14280/jeff-bridges-marriage/
https://www.today.com/popculture/jeff-bridges-carries-photo-his-wallet-day-he-met-his-t195333
https://twitter.com/TheJeffBridges/status/1318341223384518663
