Sean Penn offered his brutally honest feelings about Madonna’s past declaration of him being the love of her life.
Their romance was seen as a thrilling love story between “America’s bad boy and America's bad girl.”
But Sean recently set the record straight, addressing how a good first date spiraled into a tumultuous four-year marriage.
Sean Penn offered his brutally honest feelings about his short-lived marriage to Madonna
Image credits: Jeffrey Asher / Getty
The 64-year-old actor was asked about his relationship with the Queen of Pop, now 66, during an appearance on Louis Theroux's podcast.
The former couple tied the knot just about six months into meeting each other on the set of the music video for her hit song Material Girl.
They were married from 1985 to 1989.
The pop icon previously declared that Sean was the love of her life
Image credits: Vinnie Zuffante / Getty
After their divorce, Madonna said in her 1991 documentary Truth or Dare that the two-time Oscar-winning actor was the love of her life.
About three decades after her remarks, Sean shared his own thoughts about her statement on the Louis Theroux Podcast episode. released this week.
The podcast host asked him whether he remembered her remarks from the documentary.
Image credits: Louis Theroux
“They ask her, ‘Who's the love of your life?’ Do you, do you remember that?” the documentarian and journalist asked.
“I do,” the Mystic River actor replied. “I remember what she said.”
He went on to describe the pop icon as “very sweet” and that they have remained good friends even after their split.
The two-time Oscar-winning actor believes their romance was a first date gone rogue
Image credits: Sky Original
“Look, she's been a good friend for a lot of years. It didn't take us long to realize that we had mistaken a good first date for a wedding partner,” he said.
“It didn't take us long to recover after we got divorced, maybe a year, in a friendship,” he added.
The Hollywood veteran said there was “a lot of alcohol” in their relationship, but he can still look back and remember the good times as well.
Image credits: Madonna
“I have a lot of fond memories of it – it's not all jail,” he said. “But there was a lot of alcohol and she'd be fairly accusing me of that.”
Madonna was “genuinely in love” with Sean, back when he was “the budding movie star, she was the budding rock star,” according to Sharon Oreck, who produced the star’s widely-popular Material Girl music video.
“The public demanded that they come together,” Sharon said in archival audio, featured in the Sky documentary Becoming Madonna, released last year.
The former couple’s romance was one of the most tabloid-obsessed celeb relationships of the 1980s
Image credits: Louis Theroux
Even though Madonna was in love, Sharon felt their attraction “was fueled by the public.”
“It was like a bomb went off," she said. “America’s bad boy and America's bad girl.”
Madonna filed for divorce in December 1987, but less than two weeks later, she reportedly requested to withdraw the divorce filing.
The singer filed for divorce once again—and for good—in January 1989.
“There was no one direct incident leading up to this,” the Grammy-winning singer’s representative told People back when they split.
“It was a series of cumulative pressures,” the representative continued. “There were many moments in their marriage when it was shaky, and Madonna was finally forced to face the reality of the situation—that they weren't happy together.”
Madonna once offered to re-marry her ex-husband for $150,000.
In 2016, Madonna told her ex-husband she would marry him again for the right price during a charity event.
The Hung Up singer was hosting the charity gala herself in Miami for the African nation of Malawi, with stars like Leonardo DiCaprio, Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle, Bethenny Frankel, James Corden, and Courtney Love sitting in the audience.
She auctioned off rare photographs, tour memorabilia, and pieces from her own art collection to raise more than $7.5 million.
The veteran actor handcuffed Madonna onstage during her charity gala in 2016
Image credits: Angela Weiss / Getty
Sean was called up on stage during the event, and he jokingly handcuffed his former wife in front of the star-studded audience.
“The many moments that were our marriage,” she cheekily said.
“I’m still in love with you,” she added and joked about re-marrying him if he bid $150,000.
Netizens felt Sean looked “rough” during his recent appearance on the podcast
Image credits: Madonna
After Sean’s recent appearance on the podcast, fans couldn’t help but comment on his disheveled hair and seemingly tired appearance.
They even noticed a bruise on his nose.
“He looks rough,” one said, while another wrote, “My 95 year old father looks younger than him.”
“2 years younger than me and looks a decade older!” quipped another.
Sean said he would work with Woody Allen “in a heartbeat”
Image credits: Madonna
During his podcast conversation, Sean revealed that he was unbothered by the allegations against filmmaker Woody Allen, who was accused of molesting his adopted daughter Dylan Farrow.
These claims have not been proven in court.
“I see he’s not proven guilty, so I take him as innocent,” Sean said, “and I would work with him in a heartbeat.”
"Too old." Netizens took to social media to speculate about the couple potentially getting back together
