Paul Newman and Joanne Wooward had a ‘complicated’ marriage, daughter says: ‘There was a tense vibe’
The married life of Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward has not always been happy.
The couple first met when they were cast in the Broadway play ‘Picnic’ in 1953. They said ‘yes’ in 1958, and their union lasted until the actor’s death in 2008. During Newman’s lifetime, the couple made 16 films together.
The couple’s partnership was legendary, but their daughters Clea and Melissa insisted the Hollywood power couple had a « complicated » marriage.
« There’s this fairy tale of my parents’ perfect marriage, » Melissa, 61, told Closer Weekly on Friday. However, she explained that things weren’t « all ice cream and cake » at home.
PAUL NEWMAN SAYS JOANNE WOODWARD MADE HER A ‘SEXUAL CREATURE’: ‘WE LEFT A THIRST TRAIL EVERYWHERE’
View of married American actors Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward, the former of whom photographs the latter, at their apartment in Greenwich Village, New York, New York, circa 1961. Their daughter Melissa revealed the couple’s marriage was no fairy tale fairies.
(Photo by A Louis Goldman/Photo Researchers History/Getty Images)
« There was a tense vibe in the house that came and went, » she said.
Still, Melissa noted that it was their « desire to fight for their relationship » that kept them together for 50 years « even in the worst of times ».
According to the outlet, the couple struggled to balance two high profile careers. Newman also faced a drinking problem and felt guilty over the loss of his only son, Scott Newman. The actor died in 1978 at the age of 28 from a drug and alcohol overdose.
« My mom was always the rock, even when she said, ‘I’m drawing the line. Either you pull yourself together or I’m out, » Melissa said. « I think dad respected her because he knew she wasn’t bluffing. »
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Paul Newman spoke candidly about his torrid sex life with Joanne Woodward in his posthumous memoir.
(Photo by Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images)
Newman candidly described the torrid sex life he shared with Woodward in his posthumous memoir, “Paul Newman: The Extraordinary Life of an Ordinary Man,” which was recently released.
The memoir was based on interviews with Newman’s family, friends, colleagues and the actor himself, all of which were recorded with the stipulation that they be « completely honest ».
In the book, the legendary screen star, known for classic movies like ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’, ‘Cool Hand Luke’ and ‘The Sting’, opened up about his status as a sex symbol, which, according to him, was all because of Woodward.
« Joanne gave birth to a sex creature, » Newman said in an excerpt obtained by People magazine. « We left a trail of lust everywhere. Hotels and public parks and Hertz Rent-A-Cars. »
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Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman as Clara Varner and Ben Quick in the film ‘The Long Hot Summer’. It was based on a novel by William Faulkner and directed by Martin Ritt, circa 1958. The couple remained together until Newman’s death in 2008.
(Getty Images)
The book delved into Newman’s early insecurities during his teenage years in Shaker Heights, Ohio, where he needed special permission to join the high school football team due to his short stature. Newman also spoke about his lack of self-confidence and his early failures with women.
« I felt like a fucking freak, » he said. « The girls thought I was a joke. A jolly jester. »
However, the Oscar winner said that all changed after he met Woodward in 1953 when they were both stunt doubles in the original production of William Inge’s play ‘Picnic’.
At the time, Newman was married to his first wife, Jackie Witte, with whom he shared three young children, Scott, Susan and Stephanie. However, her attraction to Woodward proved too strong and the two got into a rocky affair.
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American actors Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward share an intimate moment in a scene from an episode of Playhouse 90 titled « Eighty-Yard Run » on January 15, 1958. The two were married a few weeks later.
(Photo via CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images)
« I went from not really being a sexual threat to something entirely different, » he recalls.
Newman and Witte divorced in 1958, and he married Woodward the same year in Las Vegas. In the memoir, Newman shared an anecdote from the couple’s early years as a married couple.
He recalls returning home to their Beverly Hills home to find that Woodward had set up a room off the master bedroom with a « double thrift store bed » that she « proudly » called the « F—Hut. » .
« It was done with so much love and pleasure, » Newman noted. « Even if my kids came, we’d go to the F— Hut several nights a week and just be intimate and loud and ribald. »
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Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward « fought really hard to stay together, » their daughter Clea said.
(Photo by Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic)
The couple later moved to Westport, Connecticut, with their three daughters.
« Joanne and I always drive each other crazy in different ways, » he said. « But all the crimes, the betrayals, the hardships kind of smoothed over the years. »
The couple’s daughter, Clea, recalled, « They fought, and it could be dramatic, but they also fought very hard to stay together. »
« They didn’t work out, » she said. « There were times when it was pretty tight, but they worked hard to get there. In the end, they came together. »
Fox News Digital’s Ashley Hume contributed to this report.
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