Not love, but self-destruction: the story of Madonna and Sean Penn’s relationship

The acquaintance of future lovers took place in 1985 during the filming of the singer’s clip for the song Material Girl. Recall that at the time of the meeting, the performer managed to release his first studio album and shone with might and main on television. Sean Penn, on the contrary, was just beginning his career in show business: behind him were the films Lights Out, Fast Times at Ridgemont High and Bad Boys, in which the young film actor starred with Tom Cruise and Timothy Hutton.

Madge and Sean were immediately attracted to each other, otherwise it wouldn’t have happened: she’s outrageous, he’s lively and passionate. The passion that erupted on the day of the singer’s meeting with the actor 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 has long been remembered not only by newlyweds and guests. Lovers wanted to party in a tight circle without prying eyes and the ubiquitous paparazzi. However, the plans of the stars were violated by journalists who managed to get secret information about the place of the ceremony and fly there by helicopter. Sean Penn, who was distinguished by a violent temper, could not stand it and began to fire a pistol into the air to disperse curious reporters. Later, the Hollywood rebel justified his behavior as follows: “During this marriage, I met bullshit like the paparazzi for the first time… These bastards were chasing us every day! At such times you start thinking about murder, I’m not talking about using your fists.

It was the hot temper of the lover that attracted the pop diva, she was delighted with the masculinity and indomitableness of the chosen one. She was not bothered by the fact that the man turned out to be a terrible jealous. During the joint filming 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 from which his wife was filmed, he could even break the camera. Penn’s explosive nature was heightened by his addiction to alcohol, his aggressiveness, and his penchant for violence. But it must be admitted that Madonna has often added fuel to the fire, teasing her husband and causing his jealousy. While married, she had an affair with John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Jr., and also appeared in the company of Sandra Bernhard.

The star’s love story, full of passions, betrayals and scandals, could not end in an ordinary way. Madonna and Sean Penn’s split after four years of a crazy gossip-ridden relationship. The press discussed several options for the last meeting of the spouses. Some journalists wrote that the actor broke into his wife’s villa, pointed a gun at her head, and then left her alone, tied to a chair, for two days. According to the most reliable version, Madonna herself let Sean drunk into her house, where their quarrel took place. The police officer, at whose station the woman arrived after the beating, said: “She had broken lips, her face was swollen with tears and looked like minced meat. She looked like a typical victim of domestic violence… Until she showed up, I couldn’t even think I was in front of a world famous singer. Soon the star wrote a statement to her husband and filed for divorce, but later dropped the accusation. The reason for Madonna’s act wasn’t revealed until 2015, when the pop diva admitted she had slandered Sean: “My allegations against Pen were completely false, malicious and outrageous.”

It is surprising that celebrities, after a noisy breakup and so many years of separation, continue to swear love to each other. In 2016, Madonna opened up saying, “Shawn, I wanna say I love 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 auction was interrupted by another bidder, the couple’s fans have long dreamed of the reunion of the ex-spouses.

Anyway, in difficult times, Sean continues to publicly support the singer. He didn’t turn away when Madonna was charged with 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 one thing should be recognized: the emotional attachment between the ex-spouses has not disappeared after 35 years. And maybe the illogical love between them is still alive.

Text: Alexandra Mikheeva

Photo: Getty images, Legion Media