Not Love, But Self-Destruction: The Story of Madonna and Sean Penn’s Relationship

The future lovers met in 1985 during the filming of the singer’s music video for the song Material Girl. Recall that at the time of the meeting, the artist managed to release her debut studio album and shined powerfully and mainly on television. On the contrary, Sean Penn was just starting his career in show business: behind him were the films Lights Out, Fast Times at Ridgemont High and Bad Boys, in which the young actor played with Tom Cruise and Timothy Hutton.

Madge and Sean were instantly attracted to each other, it couldn’t have happened otherwise: she is outrageous, he is alive and passionate. The passion that erupted on the day the singer and the actor met was reckless, the relationship developed rapidly, and in the same year Madonna and Sean Penn got married. The wedding of the star couple took place on August 16 – the day of the singer’s 27th birthday – and was remembered for a long time not only by the newlyweds and guests. The lovers wanted to celebrate in a narrow circle without prying eyes and ubiquitous paparazzi. However, the plans of the stars were disrupted by reporters who managed to get secret information about the location of the ceremony and fly to it by helicopter. Sean Penn, who was characterized by a violent nature, could not stand it and started shooting a gun in the air to disperse curious journalists. Later, the Hollywood rebel justified his behavior as follows: “It was during this marriage that I first met such shit as the paparazzi… These bastards chased us every day! It’s moments like these that make you think about murder, I’m not talking about using your fists.

Popu diva was attracted by the fiery temperament of her lover, she was delighted by the masculinity and indomitability of the chosen one. She did not let herself be embarrassed by the fact that the man turned out to be terribly jealous. During the joint shooting of the film “Shanghai Surprise” in 1986, Sean personally approved the scenes with the participation of the singer, and if he did not like the angles in which his wife was filmed, he could even break the camera. Penn’s explosive nature was exacerbated by his addiction to alcohol, aggressiveness and violent tendencies. But we have to admit that Madonna often added fuel to the fire, teasing her husband and making him jealous. While married, she had an affair with John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Jr. and also appeared in the company of Sandra Bernhard.

A stellar love story full of passions, betrayals and scandals could not end in an ordinary way. Madonna and Sean Penn split after four years of a crazy, gossip-filled relationship. The press discussed several variants of the last meeting of the spouses. Some journalists wrote that the actor broke into his wife’s villa, put a gun to her head, and then left her alone tied to a chair for two days. According to the most reliable version, Madonna herself let a drunken Sean into her house, where they had an argument. The policeman, at whose station the woman appeared after the beating, said: “Her lips were broken, her face was swollen from tears and she looked like minced meat. She looked like a typical victim of domestic violence… Until she introduced herself, I couldn’t even think that I was standing in front of a world-famous singer. The star soon wrote a statement to her husband and filed for divorce, but later withdrew the charges. The reason for Madonna’s act was revealed only in 2015, when the pop diva admitted that she had defamed Sean: “My allegations against Pena were completely false, malicious and outrageous.”

It is surprising that famous people continue to swear love to each other after a high-profile breakup and so many years of separation. In 2016, Madonna opened up and said, “Shawn, I want to tell you that I’ve loved you since the first time we met.” And at one of the charity evenings, Penn responded positively to the ex-wife’s offer to donate $150,000 in exchange for her becoming his wife again. And although the bidding was interrupted by another interested party, fans of the couple have long dreamed of a reunion of the former spouses.

Be that as it may, in difficult times, Sean continues to publicly support the singer. He didn’t back down when Madonna was accused of illegally adopting Malawian twins and her 16-year-old son Rocco was arrested for possession of marijuana.

A marriage full of contradictions was the only possible union of such bright and strong personalities as Madonna and Sean. Their scandalous relationship can hardly be called exemplary, but it is worth recognizing one thing: the emotional bond between the ex-spouses has not disappeared after 35 years. And maybe that illogical love still lives between them.

Text: Alexander Mikheeva

Photo: Getty images, Legion media