Robert Downey Jr. and his wife Susan have one of the most long-lasting marriages in Hollywood – and there's a simple rule they follow to maintain their almost 19-year union.
Following the Oppenheimer star's emotional speech at the Oscars after he won the Best Supporting Actor award, in which he said his wife "loved me back to life", Susan has shared the secret to their marital success.
Revealing that she and her husband try not to go longer than 14 days without being together, Susan told People: "We do have a two-week rule, which often feels too long."
© Getty ImagesShe explained: "We don't go more than two weeks without seeing each other and the family being together. Fortunately, we prefer to be a traveling circus when we can be."
The couple share a son Exton, 12, and a daughter Avri, nine, while Robert is also dad to Indio, 30, from a previous marriage.
Susan continued: "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. 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."
© Getty ImagesAs a film producer, Susan admitted that she can afford to be more flexible with her schedule than her leading man husband.
She added: "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.
"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."
© Getty ImagesRobert and Susan met in 2003 on the set of the thriller Gothika, which he starred in and she produced. Susan later recalled the first time she met her husband during an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
She said: "We were up in Montreal prepping for Gothika, and we had lunch with the director and Halle Berry. Everybody else ordered Japanese, but Robert told us how oatmeal was the 'superfood.'
"He brought his own packets of oatmeal to have at lunch. And he had this box of various herbs and stuff. And then he started doing these yoga moves. I mean, he was interesting but weird."
© Gareth Cattermole/BAFTAIn October 2003, they made their red carpet debut at the premiere of The Singing Detective, a musical that Robert starred in, and one month later, he proposed.
Sharing their engagement story on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Robert explained: "It was her birthday and I wanted to get her before she turned 30. So, I waited right before midnight.
"I got her a bunch of stuff and then there was a ring. And she opened that, and I said… What did I say?"
© Getty ImagesSusan answered: "'I was wondering if, maybe, you'd wanna, like, be my wife one day.'"
Despite his quick proposal, the couple didn't tie the knot until August 27, 2005, in Long Island, New York.
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