The Curse of the Best Actress Oscar?

With the news of Sandra Bullock's husband's alleged infidelity and Kate Winslet's impending divorce from Sam Mendes, we realized that the last two winners of the Best Actress Academy Award both have had marital issues.
Looking back, it's more than just these two whose relationships disintegrated after they won the coveted award. Reese Witherspoon scooped up the honor in 2006, and lost husband Ryan Phillippe in 2007. And there are many more.
It may be every actress' dream to win a Best Actress Oscar -- but unfortunately, it may come at the cost of the men in their lives. We have to ask -- is the award cursed? Bonnie Fuller,
Editor-in-Chief of HollywoodLife.com, believes it is.
"I absolutely think it's cursed. It's sad but true that in this day and age it's a rare treasure of a man who can handle being married to a hugely successful woman -- especially one who's more successful at the current time than they are," she tells PopEater.
More importantly, how does Oscar hurt relationships? "Many men feel emasculated by strong women and this can be an especially big problem if women are in very visible positions -- and what can be more visible than winning an Oscar. If the men are also in a competitive profession, i.e. they're also an actor or in a similarly artistic profession, they may feel insecure about their wife or girlfriend's success. And that can really damage their relationship," Fuller adds. (
Watch Bonnie Address Jesse James Here)
See whom it's affected and what went wrong after the jump!
Sandra Bullock: 'The Blind Side,' 2010
Just weeks after she accepted her Oscar, rumors of husband Jesse James' infidelity reportedly led Bullock to move out of the home they shared together
Did Oscar play a role? James is a reality TV star and Bullock's the first woman to headline a movie that made over $200M. You do the math.
Kate Winslet: 'The Reader,' 2009
The same week that Sandra fled her house, Winslet announced she and husband Sam Mendes were separating. The couple married in 2003 and have one son, plus Kate's daughter from a previous marriage.
Did Oscar play a role? Mendes is an Oscar-winning director. But he's been much more inconsistent than Winslet. With six nods and one win, Kate is always at the top of her game, while Mendes has received mixed reviews for his post-'American Beauty' work -- including 'Revolutionary Road' with his estranged wife. (She won a Golden Globe for her role in that film, but the movie itself failed to click on the awards circuit.)
Reese Witherspoon: 'Walk the Line,' 2006
Over a year after taking home the award for playing June Carter Cash, Witherspoon filed for divorce from husband Ryan Phillippe, despite seven years of marriage and two children, amid reports he was cheating with his 'Stop Loss' co-star Abbie Cornish, with whom he later had a relationship.
Did Oscar play a role? Ryan's career has lagged way behind Reese's since 'Cruel Intention' -- he even lacks his own page on Box Office Mojo, a site that tabulates stars' box office ratings. (His latest star turn, 'Loss,' grossed just 10.9 million.) The Oscar highlights this disparity.

Hilary Swank: 'Million Dollar Baby,' 2005, and 'Boys Don't Cry, 2000
Swank and her husband of almost 10 years, Chad Lowe, announced their decision to split in January of 2006, finalizing their divorce later that year.
Did Oscar play a role? The last thing we remember Lowe doing is an episode of 'Bones.' That doesn't hold up well to a two-time Academy Award winner.
Charlize Theron: 'Monster,' 2004
Theron and longtime boyfriend actor Stuart Townsend, who had been dating for 9 years, broke up this past January.
Did Oscar play a role? Townsend who? Have you seen 'Maggie Hill,' 'Chaos Theory' or any episodes of 'Night Stalker'?
Halle Berry: 'Monster's Ball,' 2002
Berry and husband, singer Eric Benet, ended their four year marriage in 2003, allegedly due to his sex addiction.
Did Oscar play a role? Think of it this way. When was the last time you listened to Benet's music on your iPod?

Julia Roberts: 'Erin Brockovich,' 2001
Although they dated for four years, Roberts and Benjamin Bratt dissolved their union months after Julia's big Oscar night.
Did Oscar play a role? Sure, Bratt is recognizable from his 'Law & Order' days, but he's nothing compared to the tour-de-force that is America's sweetheart.
Gwyneth Paltrow: 'Shakespeare in Love,' 1999
The normally very secretive Paltrow thanked Ben Affleck in her acceptance speech, but a few months later, they permanently called it quits after three years of an on-again, off-again romance.
Did Oscar play a role? This could be the one exception. Affleck already had his own Oscar, and Paltrow and he were equally well-known. (And at the time, he may have been more so.)
Helen Hunt: 'As Good as It Gets,' 1998
Engaged in 1997 and married in 1999, Hunt's relationship with 'Simpsons' voice-actor Hank Azaria didn't last long after her 'Good' achievement.
Did Oscar play a role? When they first got together, Hunt was a small-screen star who became the first to be paid $1 million per episode for 'Mad About You.' Then, in her first leading big-screen appearance,' she wins an Oscar. Azaria, on the other hand, is best known for his 'Simpsons' characters.

Susan Sarandon: 'Dead Man Walking,' 1996
There was a significant amount of time between her win and the crumbling of their 23 year partnership, but Sarandon and actor Tim Robbins broke up in late 2009.
Did Oscar play a role? Robbins also has his own statuette. But it was for Best Supporting Actor. One could only imagine what would have happened if he'd won for lead actor.
Emma Thompson: 'Howard's End,' 1993
Married in 1989, director-actor Kenneth Branagh and Thompson were divorced in 1995, two years after Emma earned gold.
Did Oscar play a role? Branagh has four Oscar nominations, but zero wins to Emma Thompson's two. (She also won for best adapted screenplay in 1996.)
We'd like to believe that winning Best Actress doesn't automatically reduce the chances that your marriage or relationship will last. (We're rooting for Helen Mirren and Taylor Hackford to make it.) But 61% of the award's winners since 1993 have had troubles in their love lives after. Those just aren't great odds. In the end, however, it could just be one big coincidence.
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Jesse James, once a cheat always a cheat (e.g. Tiger "whore" Woods)...Sandra, baby, move on...You're absolutely beautiful, plenty of fish in the sea..."There's more where that came from"...Don't settle!!!
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Is it really that these husbands feel emasculated or rather is it that these females have developed a truly unrealistic view of their own self importance?
Well I see it like this,People or most I should say do not know what real love is and what the meaning of marriage is. the ring reprisents the full circle of love,sighning papers dose not mean U own some one, it's a bout loveing one a nother till death do U's part. actor's more than actresses play around, and they get mad because they don't believe in liberality. so if they cheat work it out if not U R intitled to a devorce, marriage and love means U accept any and every thing about that person. love is a grand thing don't abuse it glorify it with GOD. take care GOD bless U both and Sandra U R a very Beautiful woman and I love you good luck.
I think a curse on female winners of an oscar is a crock! I suggest you do an analyist of divorces & break ups in the acting profession & you may find the number higher than 61%!
I agree with you 100 percent. There is no Oscar curse, just mates you should curse out. Move on. He had me fooled too, I must admit, but what a disappointment.
if you really want my opinion here it is.sandra bullock,can get
any man she want,but if she love her husband she can forgive him
and give him a chance to changes,but if he doesn't changes sandra
bullock,can nmake up her mind if she want him or not.sandra bullock is my idol and for me she a good person even do i never meet her,its up to her.
It's not some cursed object or award; that's retarded. It's more that they are picking men who are not secure enough in their masculinity to handle a woman that is more successful than them, so they act like morons. End of story.
I don't think we have to worry about this 'journaist' losing their job for being too serious.
stupid, I like how they include susan sarandon, split 15 yrs after winning, yeah, that's some curse. buttheads. it's hollywood/celebs, they're all freaks and weirdos with the morals of a dog.
First of all, she married him because he was a "Bad Boy", and wanted that dangerous image and...she got it along with all the baggage. I think she'll stay but there will probably be some really serious understandings to be made for longevity to have a chance.
Much more to consider; what about the father of her children?
A great deal of men cheat might as well stay with the one you know.
You portray the fellow in these breakups as suffering from being emasculated as though it were something they were guilty of, and not the woman. Hey, if a woman tried to cut off my jewels, I wouldn't stand for it, no matter who she might be. On the other hand, I'm secure enough that if SB wanted to love and support me, I'd be right there by her side no matter where she went. Sounds like a job worth taking to me.
of course there are 'more fish in the sea' - too bad actors only look for these fish in the waters of hollywood - where disappointment is part of the glamour. the man was with a porn star before Sandra.... doesn't that give you a clue? Did his persona change after that - no. He was still bad ass J. Sandra knew this going in... she liked having the 'bad boy' as a husband. Unfortunately, she was delusional when she thought 'I can change him, he'll be a loyal, considerate, family man'. You Reap what you sow. Sorry Sandra, but it's your just rewards. Better luck with the next hollywood chap.
She fell in love with a Major Player... And when she moved forward.. Way out of his Class he fell back to his roots. JJ is low class and SB came from a family with class.. Hum...and are we surprised? Think not.
Infidelity is already huge and mostly men are at fault so why are we surprised this happens? Our biggest problem is women constantly forgiving men's bad behavior or the women who help them cheat while women doing the same thing are tagged as whores.
Double standards. And please, Jesse James whored around and that is any surprise to anyone?
Women, as a whole, are their own worst enemies.
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You're right...if women had more respect for themselves and other women, we wouldn't always be going after someone's husband. It takes two to tango and the woman is certainly just as much to blame as the filandering husband.
I am inclined to agree with you, but let's not distract ourselves from the fact that as the married person, the responsibility to not cheat was on him, period. Not the tattooed mistress, and it certainly doesn't sound like he was an innocent victim being taken advantage of - more like he pursued it aggressively and willingly. Yes, this girl is an idiot, yes, she shares the blame, but he is the one who carries the weight of it for a reason. Sandy was always too good for him and I hope that even if she does forgive him, she doesn't go back to him.
Stephanie - I disagree - respect for self and respect for other women has nothing to do with why a woman will sleep with another woman's husband, there are more factors involved other than self respect - if that was the case, then all problems would be solved if women just took a counseling course in self esteem and respect and the whole fidelity issue would disappear!! And, why is it the responsibility of the woman to say "no - no affair your married?" Are you saying men can't help themselves, so its the woman's place to act responsiblity for both parties? If that's the case, then men are weak, lack self esteem and respect for other men. Its wonderful how you demean the entire male/ female population - lo love my hubby, but he knows that if Adam Scott ever came around and said, let's "bump uglies or I'm taking you away to Australia" I'd be gone, just as I know that if Mariah Carey came along and wanted him and opened the limo door to whisk him away to Hollywood, he'd be gone. And to be honest, I wouldn't be mad at him. I might even be proud -"hey look - he used to be my hubby! HA HA HA
I agree with you
men are wired to spread their seed and woman are designed to nurture there offspring it's just how we are wired
Here,here. Bravo.
Women need to start the "Girls Club" and protect each other. Any woman that is propositioned by a married/living together man should reply "You're obviously a cheat-what makes you think I would want you?" Then his ONLY 2 options would be to stay faithful to the woman he's with or honorably end the relationship and move on.
Then we would have a decent moralistic society to live in. Right now the idea is Utopia....women have the power to make it a real future for us and our daughters.