- Sean Penn, 63, said he’s “excited every day” about not being in a serious relationship.
- “I don’t think I’ll ever get my heart broken in love again,” Penn told The New York Times.
- A 2022 Pew Research Center survey of 6,034 U.S. adults found that about 30% of people over the age of 50 are single.
Sean Penn, 63, has accepted that he is not in a serious relationship.
In an interview with The New York Times, Penn spoke about how his views on romance have changed over the years.
“I’m just free,” Penn told the Times. “If I get into a relationship, I’m still free. If I don’t, I’m not going to get hurt. I don’t think I’m going to get my heart broken in a relationship again.”
Academy Award Winner The actor has been married and divorced three times.
Penn was married to Madonna from 1985 to 1989.
He married actor Robin Wright in 1996 and they have two children. They divorced in 2010.
Penn married Australian actress Leila George in 2020. A year later, George filed for divorce, which was finalized in 2022.
He added that he’s “excited every day” that he’s not currently in a serious relationship.
Looking back on his past relationships, Penn said, “The first thing I see in the morning is my partner’s eyes, thinking about what they can do to make them happy that day. And they almost never reciprocate.”
He also spoke about how exhausting relationships can be at times.
“In one of my marriages, the background noise of life was a show called ‘The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’ or ‘Love Island,'” he said. “I would be in the room, and I feel like — and I’m not saying this pretty — I felt like I was dying. I felt my heart and my brain shrinking. It was aggressive.”
Penn added that she’s past the stage where she enjoys drama in relationships, and any unnecessary drama or visits from the “trauma gods” would kill her feelings for the person.
“I look at my dogs and I say, ‘Hey, it’s us again,'” he said.
A 2022 Pew Research Center survey of 6,034 U.S. adults found that about 30% of people over the age of 50 are single. Additionally, 57% of single adults surveyed said they are not currently looking for a relationship or casual dating partner.
Although there’s a stigma attached to being single, especially for older women, research shows it has many mental and physical benefits. Bonnie Scott, therapist and founder of Mindful Kindness Counseling, previously told Business Insider that single people are able to make their own decisions, which translates to more freedom.
Representatives for the University of Pennsylvania did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent outside regular working hours.
