- Sam Taylor-Johnson isn't fond of the public scrutiny that her age-gap relationship with Aaron Taylor-Johnson gets.
- "Most of the time, we zone it out and stay pretty private," she told The Hollywood Reporter.
Director Sam Taylor-Johnson said she does not enjoy the attention she and her actor husband, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, receive over the 23-year age gap in their relationship.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter about her upcoming Amy Winehouse film "Back to Black," the filmmaker, 57, spoke about her relationship with her husband, 33.
"There are times when it's uncomfortable," Sam told The Hollywood Reporter, referring to the scrutiny they receive for their age-gap relationship. "Most of the time, we zone it out and stay pretty private. We tend to retreat. Kids and school runs keep you pretty grounded."
The couple first met on the set of the 2009 movie "Nowhere Boy," which was directed by Sam and starred Aaron. She was 42 and he was 18.
When the production of the film wrapped, Aaron proposed to Sam, he told Harper's Bazaar in 2019: "And a year to the minute after we met, exactly one year to the minute, I got down on one knee and asked her to marry me."
They married in 2012 and have two daughters together, in addition to two daughters from Sam's previous marriage.
Earlier this month, Sam told The Guardian the age gap between her and her husband "never" shows up in their interactions, even in terms of different interests or cultural reference points.
"We're a bit of an anomaly, but it's that thing: after 14 years, you just think, surely by now, it doesn't really matter?" Sam said, adding that their children aren't bothered by their age gap.
"They see two loving, happy parents, so it doesn't really register. They just think people are a bit mean, or mad," she said.
Elsewhere in the interview, Sam said she was "a great believer that the heart overrides everything" and that "love conquers all."
Sam isn't the only one who has spoken up about the public interest in their age-gap relationship. In March, Aaron told Rolling Stone UK that he doesn't quite understand why people like to weigh in on their relationship.
"You're doing something too quickly for someone else? I don't understand that. What speed are you supposed to enjoy life at? It's bizarre to me," he told the magazine.
"What you gotta realize," he said, "is that what most people were doing in their twenties, I was doing when I was 13."
Aaron has been in the spotlight lately over speculation that he may be the next James Bond — the star of the massively lucrative movie franchise that has pulled in over $2 billion across 26 movies, according to Box Office Mojo. The previous Bond, Daniel Craig, stepped down after filming 2021's "No Time to Die." Aaron has not confirmed the rumors.
Aaron and Sam aren't the only celebrity couple with a big age gap. Dick Van Dyke and his wife, Arlene Silver, are 46 years apart, while Patrick Stewart and Sunny Ozell are 38 years apart.
Of course, age-gap relationships aren't exclusive to celebrities, and navigating them can come with their own set of challenges, such as having unsupportive friends and being caught in awkward situations.
Representatives for the couple did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider sent outside regular business hours.