Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Sam Taylor-Johnson found love, despite a 23-year age gap.
The couple originally met when Aaron auditioned for Sam’s directorial debut, Nowhere Boy. According to Sam, her now-husband didn’t have much availability due to his Kick-Ass filming schedule, so he auditioned at her home.
“It was so inconvenient,” Sam, who was going through a divorce with Jay Jopling at the time, recalled during a June 2017 interview with The Sunday Times UK. “In the end, I was like, ‘OK, he’ll have to come to my home.’ I opened my door to John Lennon. I instantly knew he was the guy.”
Sam explained that she shared a “connection” with Aaron while they worked on the project together, saying, “He was very intense and absolutely mind made-up [about us dating].”
Sam and Aaron tied the knot in 2012 before welcoming daughters Wylda and Romy Hero. (Aaron is also stepfather to Sam’s two older children from her previous marriage.)
Scroll down to relive Aaron and Sam’s romance:
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2008
The duo met when Aaron auditioned for the role of John Lennon in Nowhere Boy. At the time, the Nocturnal Animals star was either 18 or 19 years old while his now-wife was 42.
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2008
Sam confirmed her divorce from Jopling, with whom she shares daughters Anjelica and Jessie.
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2009
After filming wrapped on Nowhere Boy, Aaron and Sam started dating and announced their engagement that same year.
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2010
Aaron and Sam expanded their family with daughter Wylda Rae.
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2012
The former coworkers welcomed daughter Romy Hero.
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2012
The BAFTA nominee gushed about his decision to change his last name after his wedding, telling Evening Standard, “I just don’t see why women need to take the man’s name. I wanted to be a part of her just as much as she wanted to be part of me.”
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2015
“Being in an amazing relationship, having come out of a difficult one, it felt so good. And I feel like that stability has enabled me to get on with doing this momentous project,” Sam told The Guardian. “The great thing about Aaron is that he’s happy not working and being at home with the kids while I work. We’re actually fighting over it. He’s like, ‘No no, I like being an at-home dad, doing the cooking and the school runs.'”
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2017
During his Golden Globes acceptance speech, Aaron gave his wife a sweet shout-out.
“I want to thank my wife for being there with me and supporting me through this. Thank you for putting up with me, Jesus, I was not very pleasant in this role. You’re my soulmate and I love you very much,” he said at the time. “I’m blessed. I have four beautiful daughters: Anjelica, Phoenix, Wylda, and Romy, I love you all very much.”
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2017
“I get more fulfillment from being a father than I do from being an actor. I’m still constantly wanting to give it up,” the Avengers: Age of Ultron star shared with Mr. Porter about the next chapter of his life. “Their mom is one of the strongest, most independent women I know. A role model.”
Aaron also said he doesn’t “analyze” his marriage, adding, “I just know that it works. I just feel secure and loved and safe. We have this very deep connection. We’re just in sync.”
Sam, for her part, added: “If I gave a second thought to other people, I would be the unhappiest person, probably still in a miserable marriage. People like to talk about it. I’m like, ‘Yeah, but it works better than my last marriage.’ It’s lasted longer than a lot of my friends’ marriages.”
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2019
“When I met Sam, I’d already lived a life far beyond that of most of my contemporaries – I didn’t relate to anyone my age. I just feel that we’re on the same wavelength,” Aaron told The Telegraph UK in 2019.
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2019
The longtime collaborators discussed how they worked together on A Million Little Pieces. “It was the best thing we’ve ever done,” Sam told Harper’s Bazaar in a joint interview, to which Aaron added, “Even better because we did it together.”
The twosome, who cowrote the screenplay, revealed that they have “only been apart for maybe two or three days” throughout their entire marriage.
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2021
Sam got Aaron’s name tattooed on her after he previously added hers on his chest.
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2022
Following 10 years of marriage, Aaron and Sam celebrated by renewing their vows.
“It was a celebration of love and joy!” the Bullet Train star wrote via Instagram. “A decade of marriage. It was a magical unforgettable day and the sun did not stop shining on us both.. we are blessed beyond belief. ❤️ Sammy you are my love, my life, my soulmate, my wife, my world!”
Courtesy of Sony Pictures
2023
Sam shared a sweet birthday message to her husband as he turned 33. “Happy Birthday dear heart ♥️ You’re the sweetest husband and incredible Father to all our girls. We love you ♥️,” she wrote via Instagram.
Days later, she shared his steamy shirtless poster for his new movie, Kraven the Hunter, with her fans. “Kraving my Hunter 🦁,” the director quipped in the caption.
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2023
“I’ve probably talked to you more about my kids and Sam than I have with anybody. I’ve got really nothing to hide, and I’m secure in what we have,” Aaron told Esquire in an August 2023 story about the boundaries he establishes when discussing his family. “But I’m not going to unlock things that are actually precious to me.”
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2024
Aaron clapped back at the “bizarre” discourse surrounding the couple’s age gap.
“What you gotta realize is that what most people were doing in their twenties, I was doing when I was 13,” he told Rolling Stone UK. “You’re doing something too quickly for someone else? I don’t understand that. What speed are you supposed to enjoy life at? It’s bizarre to me.”
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2024
“Happy Birthday my love,” Sam wrote via Instagram on Aaron’s 34th birthday, sharing a trio of photos of her husband.
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2024
Aaron and Sam went for matching looks while at the New York City premiere of his movie Kraven the Hunter in December. The couple were joined by Sam’s daughters Angelica and Jessie whom she shares with ex-husband Jay Jopling.
Sam’s eldest children haven’t previously attended events with their mother and stepfather.
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2025
In honor of Aaron’s 35th birthday, Sam posted a sweet message for her husband alongside a series of pics of them playing card games.
“Happy Birthday Mon Amour ❤️ Je t’aime ❤️,” she wrote via Instagram.
