Middle Age Hollywood

Over the past nine years, a slightly disturbing trend has emerged for whoever ascends the stage, teary-eyed, to collect the Best Actress statue. Almost all the winners in this time period have gotten divorced, or called off super long-term relationships that seemed to have no expiration date. And none of these breakups were exactly amicable.

* Benjamin Bratt was the lucky man on Julia Roberts’ arm when she won the Oscar for her role in “Erin Brockovich” in 2001. Three months later their relationship was over—he went on to marry Talisa Soto, while she’s had three kids with husband Danny Moder. She’s yet to be nominated for a second time, so hopefully this relationship is safe.
*
* The second actress to fall victim to this trend? Halle Berry, who won Best Actress in 2002 for “Monster’s Ball.” She’d been dating hot musician Eric Benet for years, and the two got hitched in 2001. Shortly after winning her Best Actress Oscar, Benet started cheating on her and allegedly went to sex addiction rehab. But it wasn’t enough—the couple separated in 2003 and divorced in 2005.
*

Infamously, Hilary Swank forgot to thank her hubby Chad Lowe, brother of Rob, when she won Best Actress in 2000 for her role as Brandon Teena in “Boys Don’t Cry.” Still, Chad seemed ultra supportive of her, and they were the ultimate down-to-earth Hollywood couple. They had just crossed the 13-years-together mark when Hilary won again in 2005, for “Million Dollar Baby,” and she made sure to thank him, first thing. The two divorced a year later. Rumors circulated that he couldn’t handle the level of success she’d found.

Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Philippe met at her 21st birthday party—she supposedly walked up to him and said, “I think you’re my birthday present”—and got married less than a year later. Reese had already popped out two kidlets seven years later, when she won Best Actress for her role in “Walk the Line,” and the pair seemed forevers. Nope. They split eight months after she gave her acceptance speech. Many assume Ryan was cheating on her with Abbie Cornish.

Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise had already shocked the world by getting divorced when she won the Best Actress Oscar for portraying Virginia Woolf in “The Hours.” But she was clearly still having a hard time with the split at the time of her win. “He was huge; still is. To me, he was just Tom, but to everybody else, he is huge,” she told Ladies Home Journal. “But he was lovely to me. And I loved him. I still love him.” After rumored flings with Jude Law and Robbie Williams, Nicole allegedly gave Best Actor winner Adrien Brody her number backstage at the Oscars, and the two dated for a little while. She, of course, ended up getting remarried to Keith Urban

Charlize Theron‘s relationship with actor Stuart Townsend seemed solid when she awed the Academy with her portrayal of serial killer Aileen Wuornos and won the Oscar. The two never officially tied the knot because they were waiting for same-sex couples to have the right to do the same. But Townsend said, “I don’t need a certificate or the state or the church to say otherwise. So no there’s no big official story on a wedding, but we are married ... I consider her my wife and she considers me her husband.” Until the two sadly split up in January..

The one piece of good news in this equation—last year’s Best Actress winner, Kate Winslet, is adorably married to director Sam Mendes. Still, married gals Sandra Bullock, Helen Mirren, and Meryl Streep better watch out. Especially Sandra, since we have a hunch she is going to win. We’d really hate to see her and Jesse James dunzo.


SOURCE