Sam Taylor-Johnson has spoken out about why her 23-year age gap with husband Aaron Taylor-Johnson never registers in their daily life.
The director, 59, said magazine that her 36-year-old spouse carries a wisdom that belies his years. “It doesn’t really feel like that. Because, as he said to me the other day, he’s been doing his job for 30 years,” she said in the interview. “He has a more uniquely wise perspective on things than I do. I feel like he’s so much more grounded than I could ever be. It’s a good balance for my fractious, insane energy.”
The pair first crossed paths on the set of Nowhere Boy in 2009, the John Lennon biopic that marked Sam’s directorial debut and cast Aaron in the lead role. They wed in June 2012 and have since welcomed two daughters, Wylda Rae and Romy Hero, now both teenagers.
Sam described their shared temperament as another bond that bridges any generational distance. “We’re quite similar in our energy. I can say, ‘Aaron, should we get a puppy?’ And he’ll go, ‘Yeah, great idea. Let’s get one now?’ We both have that sort of mad energy,” she continued to The Sunday Times magazine.
The scrutiny surrounding their relationship has followed them throughout their marriage, with social media trolls frequently targeting the age difference. Sam addressed this pressure in a previous conversation with The Hollywood Reporter, noting the couple’s coping strategy. “There are times where it’s uncomfortable. Most of the time we zone it out and stay pretty private. We tend to retreat. Kids and school runs keep you pretty grounded,” she said.
Aaron has been equally vocal in pushing back against critics. The actor said UK that his early start in the industry rendered conventional timelines meaningless for him. “What you gotta realize is that what most people were doing in their 20s, I was doing when I was 13,” he said. “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.”
In a 2023 Esquire interview, Aaron reflected on their creative partnership’s origins while drawing a firm line between professional collaboration and romantic connection. He noted he and Sam were “really great at collaborating” when they first met, but clarified that’s not the reason “why [he] fell in love with her.” The actor added: “I’m trying to be as honest as possible. I’ve probably talked to you more about my kids and Sam than I have with anybody.”
He also spoke about protecting certain aspects of their life from public consumption. “I’ve got really nothing to hide, and I’m secure in what we have. But I’m not going to unlock things that are actually precious to me,” he told the magazine.
Aaron pointed to routine family moments as his genuine focus. “I enjoy the normality of things, the everyday stuff. Getting my kids ready in the mornings, taking them to school and activities… That feeds my soul,” he said in the same Esquire interview.
The couple’s relationship began when Aaron, then 18, was cast as the teenage John Lennon in Sam’s feature directorial debut. Their professional dynamic on Nowhere Boy evolved into a personal connection that drew immediate attention due to their age difference and the circumstances of their meeting. They became engaged later that year and married three years after they first met, with both wearing matching white wedding attire for the ceremony.
Sam’s latest remarks to The Sunday Times magazine come as Aaron continues to be mentioned as a potential successor to Daniel Craig in the James Bond franchise, a speculation that has intensified in recent months.