Marriages in Hollywood tend to have short shelf lives. Nicolas Cage and makeup artist Erika Koike only lasted four days. This is why when a relationship stands the test of time, everyone wants to know its secret. Robert Downey Jr. and his wife Susan Downey have been married for 18 years.
They have a special rule that helps their family stay close: They never go more than two weeks without seeing each other. It’s not always easy but they make it work.
Robert and Susan share two children, Exton, 12, and Avri, 9. “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,” Susan explained to People. “Fortunately, we prefer to be a traveling circus when we can be.”
Susan explains her family has learned to be flexible. She works as a producer at her and Robert’s company, Team Downey. “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,” she went on to say. “You just never know. 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.”
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Susan can work remotely. “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 explained. “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.”
Robert is also grateful for his family and their rule. "It just gives me, honestly, something to attach my neurosis to that's positive," he joked.
To learn more about this power couple, watch this video.
