Robert Downey Jr. and Susan Downey have been married for almost two decades after they met in 2003. That’s a lot of time to sustain a relationship. Luckily, Susan has now shared the secret to their happy marriage, crediting a ‘two-week rule’ as their glue.
The couple met in 2003
The Iron-Man actor met Susan Downey in 2003 on the set of the horror mystery movie Gothika where he starred with Halle Berry.
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As she was working with Silver Pictures, Susan was a producer on the movie and met Downey Jr. on set.
She had an interesting first impression
Susan and Robert’s relationship wasn’t exactly love at first sight, as the producer once told The Hollywood Reporter in 2014 that her initial impression of Downey Jr was that he was “interesting but weird.”
She also didn’t want to go on a date with the star of the film from her job at first, but later agreed to it.
And the rest is history
You can say that after that one date, the rest is history. The couple have now been married for 19 years and counting.
Susan has now revealed how she and Downey Jr have been able to keep the marriage alive for so long.
They have a crucial rule
She explained that she and her husband have one crucial two-week rule, which is that they don’t go longer than two weeks without seeing each other and bringing the whole family together.
The couple try their best to get together
Speaking to People about her marriage and family life, Susan said, “We do have a two-week rule, which often feels too long, but we don’t go more than two weeks without seeing each other and the family being together.”
She said it helps to not think too far ahead
“Fortunately, we prefer to be a traveling circus when we can be,” Susan said.
She added, “You keep the basic rule of two weeks, and then you don’t try and think too far ahead, because so much of what we do is oddly unpredictable.”
Susan explained flexibility is also important
The film producer also said that since life is unpredictable, you have to be flexible in dealing with any issues that may come up.
She said, “Someone might get sick, or there might be a shutdown, or this or that. So you just have to have some basic things in place, and then you have to be willing to flow with the rest of it.”
The producer said her jobs helps too
Downey also went on to explain that her job as a film producer means she can be more flexible with work schedules and seeing her family, as she’s not required to be on camera.
“The good news is I’m not in front of the camera, and so as a producer I end up with a little bit more flexibility in terms of location, of where I would need to be,” she said.
She feels it would have been more difficult otherwise
With only Downey Jr. having to be on camera and on a tight schedule, it means Susan’s flexibility makes things easier for the couple, otherwise it would have been more challenging.
She said, “I really admire and have a lot of empathy for couples who both have to be in front of the camera, because you get stuck and you have to make those choices.”