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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First of all, we're living in a world where 75% of all marriages end in divorce--so a 61% divorce rate of the actresses who won awards since 1993 is still better than average. Next, for the most part--Hollywood Actors are not known for being very stable--their usually insecure, immature, marry disgusting partners, believe their own press and are self-destructive...basically social retards. This isn't new remember sex goddess Ava Gardner and 4'11" Mickey Rooney?? Jolie and Billy Bob?? Julia and that country singer?? The list goes on and on!! Women and men actors spend more time researching buying a dog--than they do researching their "potential lifetime mate"...at least dogs are more sensible and loyal.
OH PLEASE! Women cheat just as much as me do. We just dont get caught. whatever...u r stupid.
Sharon, you think to much of yourself. As Stephanie said it takes two to tango. And you can't just blame the man and his cheating partner. Most men cheat when they don't get the love and respect they need at home. Men are simple; feed them, love them, respect them and try understand how they think and feel and you'll have a more devoted husband than you can even imagine. I'm certainly not saying we're perfect! Or easy to live with, people seldom cheat when they're truly happy at home. Celebrity or otherwise.
As for the Oscar?? How many of you have had a happy marriage when the other person spends two years away and barely even has or take the time to call? Male or female? The stress that is added to a relationship in a situation like that is tremendous. People get busy with such a huge project and "forget" that they need to also be putting 100 percent into their relationship. That is the real problem. Not some curse.
yup to that last line
OK I am stupid ....but why do they always say "After the jump"?
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It means it continues after the picture or graphic below.
If you're on a websites main page and there are a bunch of headlines as you scroll down, there's usually a paragraph or two of the story to get you interested. "After the jump" is when you then click to read the entire story.
Unless, of course, you are talking about paratroopers.
DAAAA!!
To Sandra B. I will start by saying I am 50, so i have been around a while. As a man I will say temptation is always there BUT,if you love her,temptation WILL BE SQUASHED and no sorries will ever be needed . That is what has been my experience. I wish you the best in this time. ron v.
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Awww, all these poor fragile egos these men have. Must be awful for them. Let's get all the women in the world to hold back on achieving any sort of fame or honor or credit in any field of endeavor because we might make the poor men feel insecure. Isn't it enough that women have been held back for centuries-from being able to read and write, to learn the sciences, to study art, to vote alongside their men, etc? In 900AD the four (yes there were 4!) popes held a conference to determine if women had souls! What arrogance. We have been treated like chattel, some countries still allow their women to be treated as less (much less) than men. Now this article states that successful women could be the cause of their marriages failing due to their fame and awards making their men feel inadequate. Sorry, I am NOT buying into that pot of offal. It's time for men to act like men and do the right thing. IF you get married then stay monogamous. If you can't do that then don't get married at all.
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Well said! Funny how these fragile egos don't mind SPENDING their spouses money or fighting for half of it when she sues for divorce. I also think these guys cheat on their sucessful spouses because women find them more attractive and tag along on their 'celebrity' status so they can say something like 'Hey I screwed Sandra Bullocks husband.' See how quickly this tattooed woman called the tabloids trying to get her 15 minutes. Very very sad. Very very BAD Jesse!
Amen, sista!
Here's a thought: Don't marry a guy who was married to a pornstar and expect monogamy from him! Take responsibility for your choices instead of blaiming others for choices YOU made!
Sandra's husband has got to be crazy. The woman he cheated on her with is a totally ugly woman with all that ink all over her body.
The she tries to use scripture. If she knew it whe would know that in Leviticus God condems any and all body tatoos.
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hahahahahahahahahahahaha
People like you remind me why I am atheist.
"The Curse of the Best Actress Oscar?" You're kidding, right? Is it like King Tut's tomb, or something?
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What is it that attacts beautiful, wholesome women to obvious skuzz buckets like Jesse James?!? He must be a really good actor himself to be able to get to someone like Sandra. Or was she blinded to his plethora of bad qualities by LOVE?!? If Sandra never trusts men again, I can understand that, but I think she certainly has to take some of the blame here. Did Jesse REALLY strike you as a one woman kind of man?!? How many RED FLAGS are necessary?!? Situational blindness is a poor excuse, assuming it is even being used as an excuse by Sandra. Still, I have to believe that she turned a blind eye numerous times to be able to convince herself that Jesse was THE MAN for her. If feel sorry for Sandra and her family. I feel zero for slime James.
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and, of course, media speculation and tabloids have NOTHING to do with this. Hollywood is going as it has for years. Until the intenet, they were better able to keep their secrets.
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