Susan and Jeff Bridges attend The 23rd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at The Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California on January 29, 2017. | Source: Getty Images
The following day, the actor had a meeting with a local real estate agent to see some property, and he invited Susan. They went to a ranch house by the river, and that became their first date. Something told Jeff right then that he was looking at his home with his “future wife.”
Jeff and Susan Bridges attend his’ hand and footprint ceremony at the TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX in Hollywood, California on January 6, 2017. | Source: Getty Images
The thought worried him, but he realized he couldn’t lose the love of his life, though he was also afraid of knowing she was the one for him! The star was in love, but he was also worried he and Susan wouldn’t have the staying power his parents had. He admitted:
“For a while, I was scared of getting married. It was like it brought me one step closer to death.”
Jeff and Susan Bridges attend “The Giver” premiere at Ziegfeld Theate in New York City on August 11, 2014. | Source: Getty Images
Eventually, Jeff learned to face his fear as part of life and came to terms with it. He admitted his biggest fear was losing his freedom, but after two years of doubt, he finally proposed. He figured he could always get a divorce if things didn’t work out.
However, he didn’t expect to build a deeper bond with his wife, to include children, grandchildren, and other unattainable things without marriage. Although the move was scary for Jeff, his heart was deeply open.
Jeff and Susan Bridges arrives at the 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards held at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California on January 31, 2010. | Source: Getty Images
In 2020, the actor, then 70, had been married to Susan for 43 years, and he revealed that they were different people who went by with mutual respect. They celebrated what made them opposites instead of allowing it to separate them.