Susan Sarandon on her 37-year-old lover: ‘It’s the soul of a person that interests me’

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Ever since Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins officially split in 2009, she’s been with a 31-years-younger man. There actually might have been some overlap between Tim Robbins and this younger dude, Jonathan Bricklin. At the time (2009), Susan was 63 and Jonathan Bricklin was 32. Nowadays she’s 68 and he’s 37. And they’re still making it work. Susan has previously said that she “loves” being called a cougar, so… go ahead and say that about her. She’s on Social Security and she’s banging a 37-year-old. She’s living the dream.

Famously private actress Susan Sarandon has broken her silence on her romance with a man 31 years her junior. The 68-year-old star has remained tight-lipped about her relationship with 37-year-old screenwriter Jonathan Bricklin, with whom she runs the trendy SPiN ping-pong lounges.

“Our collaboration extends into several areas,” the Oscar-winning actress admitted in an interview with Hello! Magazine. She was quick to add that the age gap is meaningless for a couple in love.

“It’s the soul of a person that interests me,” the Thelma & Louise star said. “When you are in love, the question of age, sex, color no longer hold any importance.”

Sarandon also revealed she and her boytoy — who she met on a road trip to Chile in early 2010 — have not moved in together.

“We don’t live under the same roof,” the mum-of-three revealed. “We’re not an ordinary couple.”

The Tammy star reportedly got together with her new flame several months after splitting from partner of 23 years, Tim Robbins. Robbins was 12 years younger than Sarandon. Sarandon was previously married to actor Chris Sarandon for 12 years. She has two sons — Jack, 25, and Miles, 22 — with Robbins, and is mother to 29-year-old actress Eva Amurri Martino, with Italian film director Franco Amurri.

[From Page Six]

I like that there actually is some mystery with these two, that Susan isn’t doing photo-op after photo-op with Bricklin, like she’s trying to “prove” how sexy she is. She knows she’s sexy. She knows she’s a cool grandma. And sure, maybe this thing with Bricklin isn’t forever, but they’re both adults and they’re having fun. I actually think their relationship seems more like a business arrangement with benefits. And Bricklin seems like such a try-hard hipster, but God knows. He must be cool-ish if Susan finds him interesting.

Photos courtesy of WENN, Getty.

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94 Responses to “Susan Sarandon on her 37-year-old lover: ‘It’s the soul of a person that interests me’”

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  1. QQ says:

    Susan Sarandon Ladies and Gentlemen!!! (Im not shading her cause they are old enough, Not on our faces AND ThatsProllyGonnaBeMe

  2. AntiSocialButterfly says:

    “Well, that, and the p3nis…Definitely the p3nis, b-but there’s that whole soul thing, too. But the p3nis…” she trailed off, sighing as a wistful smile spread across her lips.

  3. Serenity says:

    Jeez. In the last pic he looks so oily.

    • Rhiley says:

      Yep, to each her own, but he is too oily with too much perfectly coiffed facial hair for my taste. Plus, the weird kids pajama top is just so… Michelle Pfeiffer in One Fine Day?

    • PHD Gossip says:

      Eyebrows way too groomed.

  4. PunkyMomma says:

    Susan has never let society define her by her age, or anything else for that matter. As for the age difference between Sarandon and Bricklin – you go get it, girl!

    • Gea says:

      Exactly….You go Girl. I liked her always. Again, somebody remides me …what age have to with it?

    • Tiffany :) says:

      So true. Why should she start bowing to convention now? I love her for the strong woman she has been over the years.

  5. Chrissy says:

    Love Susan and her attitude towards life. Agree she a cool grandma but doesn’t her man look like Graham Norton? Ew!

  6. Cora says:

    God, I hope I look that good when I’m almost 70. She’s had some nice, subtle, elegant work done. She looks fantastic!

    As for the BF, I’m sure she loves his soul and everything, but Susan has always gone for younger men. Soul or not, she likes the youngins. Let’s be honest.

  7. V4Real says:

    At least he’s not 19 like James Woods girlfriend was that was posted here a little while ago.

    I’m 11 years older than my boyfriend and never thought I would date someone that much younger than me. Truth is you never know.

    • Virgilia Coriolanus says:

      You COUGAR! You and my mom–my mom’s definitely a cradle robber. She was 34 and my dad was 21 when they got married. With three kids.

      A while ago, I jokingly asked my dad how he would react if, in a year or so, I called him and told him that I was getting married to a 34 year old with three kids–he said he wouldn’t be happy. And of course I turned it right back around on him. I’m gonna do that for April Fool’s Day in two years……send out fake wedding invitations or something.

      • V4Real says:

        VC your mom and I was cut from the same cloth… Most guys I’ve dated have been at least 5 years younger than me but that was my limit depending on my age at the time. My current bf thought I was around his age when we first met. I’m happy to say I look younger than I actually am. We had been close friends for about three years before we eventually got together and I think that helps our relationship. He also went to HS with my youngest brother, my bro tease me about it. But you know what, I have never been more happier.

        You’re a little prankster to attempt to play such a twisted little joke on your father but let me know how it turns out.

      • Jany says:

        @VC Your mom is my hero, I kind of hope something like that will happen for me. Might have something to do with a certain Harry Styles though, hahaha. (I know!) But a little bit of wishful thinking never hurt anyone much, did it? 😉

        @V4real: you go!!!

    • Mel says:

      Eleven years isn’t ALL that much (switch the sexes and you’ll see).
      Interestingly enough, most of the greatest love stories – true grandes passions – that I’ve known of or heard about were of women about 10-12 years older than the men.

  8. Itsnotthatserious says:

    If that was a male celebrity, he will be rightfully shaded but since it is a woman we like, “go with your bad self girl, get that peen.”

    • V4Real says:

      That’s not true Aaron Taylor Johnson’s wife Sam got a lot of shade on this site, so did Madonna. I think it has more to do with the celebrity and their likeability factor. People tend to defend a celeb they like.

      • OriginalTessa says:

        Aaron was quite young when they got together. He’s older now. I think people are coming around because he’s now very clearly and adult making his own decisions.

      • Stef Leppard says:

        Yeah Aaron was a teenager when Sam robbed him from his cradle. Different sitch, IMO. But Susan’s relationship sounds like the no-strings kind, which prob works well for them.

    • Lori says:

      Susan’s BF is in his thirtys and was when this relationship started. That’s completely different than starting something with a teenager. Madonna notoriously dates 18 year olds and Aaron TJ was 17 when he met and started up with Sam TJ.

      • Tiffany :) says:

        I agree, the ages make a HUGE difference. This guy was in his 30s, you can’t say he was taken advantage of, etc.

    • Mel says:

      Why would ANYONE be “rightfully” shaded for loving and being loved by (or, heck, just going out with) someone based on their age?

  9. tinyfencer says:

    I feel like this is a double standard, and that in most cases, if a guy was dating a 31 years younger woman we’d be calling him gross. But because it’s mostly women that comment here we’re all “Woooooo! You get it girl!”

    • V4Real says:

      That’s not really accurate; see above post. Women get shaded as well.Even JLo got shaded for dating Casper Smart.

      • tinyfencer says:

        I think JLo got shaded for Casper less because of the age thing, and more because Casper just generally seems like a douche. Your point about the likeability factor is a darn good one, though. Not just about the star’s likeability factor, but the much younger and usually anonymous partner, too. We don’t like Casper, therefore we don’t like that pairing. The more Aaron Taylor Johnson grows in popularity the more people seem to be comfortable with the idea of his relationship.

      • perplexed says:

        Wasn’t Aaron Taylor Johnson really young when he got with his wife (like 20 or so?) This guy is 37. I suspect that makes a difference in reaction too. By 37, you figure the guy (or girl) isn’t being manipulated and is doing what he truly wants.

      • Jaded says:

        She got shaded because Casper is a tool with no redeeming qualities.

      • Someonestolemyname says:

        JLO gets shaded on Casper because of his behaviour, not really his age.

      • V4Real says:

        Women get shaded just as much if not worse than men. Stacey Dash, Vivaca A. Fox, Lisa Raye and yes even Gabriel Union have all been shaded for dating younger men. You might not have heard of all these women because they are Black actresses and not as popular.

        Women get called cougars but yet there’s no go to label for men who dates younger women.

    • Truthtful says:

      I am totally with you I was appalled by Patrick Steward or Jeff Goldblum , to me it’s the same here, even if the guy is 37 there is no way you are in the same experience and life experiment stage as someone pushing 70 and that itself is a big power imbalance. If someone is quite the same age as your dad or mom then there is no question this person would have the upper hand on what you know and have learned… just like your parents have it!

    • Tiffany :) says:

      I don’t think it is because she is a woman at all. I think it is because the guy was in his 30s when they started dating. When the younger party is in their late teens/early 20s, it seems like they are being taken advantage of because of their youth/naiveté. When both people enter the relationship as fully formed adults, it does have a much different dynamics.

  10. Gina says:

    I believe every word she says. I have been attracted to men of every race, color and creed. But….I am not a famous star who already has the key to get in the door. Our society is so hung up on beauty and youth, the much older women, younger man scenario is still held taboo. I have a friend who is 14 years younger than I am. I feel like a mother figure to him, although at times there is that tension that only comes from that lust kinda feeling. You are different at different stages of life, but if she can pull it off, go for it Susan. You got balls of steel sister friend.

  11. Bee says:

    I always liked her! She is a strong, intelligent, independent woman, and if my 16 years old daughter would ask for a role model, I would name Susan Sarandon. She is a great actor and made very good movies, and her political activities are impessive.
    I really hope that women dating younger men will be one day as usual as men dating younger women! I hate the word cougar!

    • Mel says:

      She’s all that, but she’s also GORGEOUS.
      And in thi s world that matters at least as much as the other qualities mentioned.
      I do agree she’s a very good role model for a young girl.

  12. Syko says:

    It may not all be about the peen. At 51 I had a somewhat lengthy relationship with a 24 year old,. Yes, he had a peen, but he also shared my enjoyment of music, movies, road trips, long conversations, and books. Plus, he’d grown up in a home where his brother and sister were nearly 20 years older than he was, so he probably felt much older than 24. We had a great time together for quite a long time, until the Navy transferred him to another port. Sarandon is spot on here. Age doesn’t matter.

  13. Kiddo says:

    There’s a tiny bit of Tim Robbins in his appearance, in the eyes. Although Tim was cuter:

    http://www.luxor-koeln.de/wp-content/uploads/Tim-Robbins.jpg

  14. GoodNamesAllTaken says:

    I just don’t get it, for either sex. In my 30s, I dated 2 men in their 20s. It made me feel older. My husband is my age, and I love that we share so many cultural experiences from childhood and teenage years. But I say about this what I’d say about a man – as long as the younger one isn’t so young that he’s being taken advantage of – whatever works for you, I guess. But I think it’s gross.

    • JudyK says:

      My feelings exactly.

    • Kitten says:

      As you know, I had a string of twenty-something “boyfriends” (and I use that term loosely) over the past 2 years or so. It was fun, but now I’m seriously involved with a 34-year-old and it’s a billion times better. Just the maturity factor alone is light years away.

      I don’t think it’s gross at all but yeah, I did feel old at times. Like the 25-year-old was into selfies and sh*t. “Here’s a selfie of me! Send me a selfie!” Uh, no dude, I am not of The Selfie Generation.
      So even though I didn’t think I looked older than any of those guys, I just FELT older and it was just not….sexy. Not sexy at all.

      That being said, I love Susan Sarandon and if she’s happy, then I’m happy for her.

      • Virgilia Coriolanus says:

        I would’ve dumped him because of the selfie aspect. I can’t stand that crap. I associate selfies with my 15 year old sister and her duck lipped friends…..

      • GoodNamesAllTaken says:

        I love her, too, and I’m happy for her. I should have said I would find it gross for me, not that she’s gross. It would be like me dating someone in their 20s now at 58, and that’s young enough to be my child, so, for me, gross.

        The 20 something’s I dated were sweet, but they both said “like” all the time and it, like, drove me like, crazy.

      • get it together says:

        bah hah hah! “and her duck-lipped friends”

        virgilia, that made me choke on my triscuit!

      • Kitten says:

        @V/C-it wasn’t just the terrible selfies, I just used that as an example of the difference in culture, maturity, and lifestyle.
        He’d call me up like “Come on down to the beach, we’re doing keg stands, and we have a slip n’ slide covered in baby oil!”
        Meanwhile, I just want to drink a craft beer, hang out with the cats, and eat bbq chicken. My current BF is into that sh*t so it works.

        Not every twenty-something I dated was like him-he was definitely an extreme case-but most were just really immature, and at very transitional places in their lives–living with 2-3 roomates (I’ve lived alone for 9 years), taking odd jobs (been at my job for 8 years), and not really….focused. It just made it hard for me to really relate to them. That being said, they served their purpose at the time..lol

      • wolfpup says:

        I was involved with two men, one 13 years older and the other 13 years younger. I lived with the younger one for 5 years. Culture, music and all his young friends left me feeling as an outsider in many ways; feeling old for one. Now, I would feel like I was dating my son (!), even as a younger guy exclaims that I’m the sexiest _0 year old he’s ever seen – yawn… Different strokes for different folks; why should I care about another person’s choice of boyfriends? Go girl! The sex must be great, and that was good enough for me at the time. I wouldn’t do it again. I like my age and my music and the culture I grew up in. The older one’s choice of music was awful – choke! He was a millionaire, and I felt as though I would have been be a caged bird – so’ no’ to the marriage thing.

      • Chris2 says:

        Long long ago for my 30th birthday I treated myself to a wild affair with a very young Adonis. This was before selfies of course (we wrote rude letters) and long before the horrible youthspeak of ‘like’ etc.
        However…..I came up against an unchanging thing with very young men, and had to end it……they try to interest you in blœdy Kerouac, fully confident that they are educating you. Farewell my lovely!!

      • Icarus says:

        I’m almost 26, and I can’t stand that selfie crap. Oh my. More power to Susan, if she’s happy that’s all that matters.

    • sigh((s)) says:

      I’m with you. I couldn’t imagine being with someone who was more than 10 years younger. Even that seems…yegh. The life experience is just too different. She’s always liked them younger, hasn’t she?

      • PunkyMomma says:

        No. She had a steaming affair with Louis Malle and her ex husband, Chris Sarandon, was older than her by a few years. I kinda admire her “let’s see what looks good at the buffet table” approach to men.

      • Miss Melissa says:

        @PunkyMomma

        Susan and Chris met at Catholic University, which they attended at the same time. They were contemporaries.

      • PunkyMomma says:

        Chris Sarandon is 72 this year. He’s a bit older than Susan, by a few years – my wording was awkward.

    • Someonestolemyname says:

      I find it sort of gross too.

    • Mel says:

      Because of the peculiarities of my life and upbringing I cannot really share an awful lot of “cultural” experiences or references with anyone, anywhere. But I find that a plus.
      The REALLY interesting subjects are (literally) timeless, epoch-transcending. Well, in my opinion they are. 🙂
      Plus, I like finding myself in unfamiliar cultural circumstances.

  15. Adrien says:

    The 37 yr.old boyfriend looks like Clay Aiken. This affair smells like another Terry Mcmillan – Jonathan Plummer to me. McMillan is the author of How Stella Got Her Groove Back.
    I’m sorry Susan, but does he watch Rocky Horror Picture on repeat and know all the songs by heart?

  16. Jag says:

    My boyfriend is 25 years younger. He thought I was younger and I thought he was older, and we fell in love. Only after we had feelings did we realize the difference in our ages. lol

    I love her stance. It’s good to see confident women out there! I do want to know the name of her surgeon, too.

    His facial hair in the last big picture has to go, though. How in the world does he think that looks good? I hope it was for a movie role or something.

  17. Dorothy#1 says:

    I still want her back with Tim Robbins.

  18. FingerBinger says:

    It’s always awkward when someone dates or marries someone young enough to be their kid. I like Susan and at least he is of age. The guy is almost 40.

  19. Mike says:

    She is interested on the soul of a man not his age. it is just a coincidence that the souls she is interested in are always at least ten years younger than her. I think Hugh Hefner has the same philosophy. I have no issue with her dating a much younger man, he is 37 after all, but I get tired of all these high-minded sounding justifications for wanting to bang a much younger person. Just own it.

    • JudyK says:

      Exactly. Just own it and don’t try to make yourself sound groundbreaking by calling yourself a Cougar. God, how I hate that terminology.

    • Mel says:

      I don’t think it’s necessarily a “justification” (and God knows none is needed).
      I have found that practically all of my friends and acquaintances that I really like hanging out with – of both sexes – are increasingly younger than myself. I never planned it that way, it just happened. I think that’s because very many people become staid and “set in their wys” – and, often, just plain boring – with age. (That’s probably because they weren’t all that interesting to start with.) I keep growing and developing. My lust for life is the same as it was age nineteen (in some aspects stronger). So I naturally gravitate towards people that happen to be younger – and they naturally gravitate towards me.

  20. Someonestolemyname says:

    I love her, but I just never got this relationship.
    Kinda creepy, but loads of men do the same.

  21. laughing girl says:

    Susan Sarandon is seriously cool and good for her for getting it on with a younger guy. Plenty of men have much much younger partners. However she does look like his mother in those pics.

  22. Anastasia says:

    His eyes in that last picture are creeping me the hell out!

  23. slayerformayor says:

    Susan Sarandan is, hands down, one of the most intelligent, quirky, sexy, and interesting actresses out there. She started a chain of ping pong bars for “sh**s and giggles” I’d take her out back and make out with her at any time for that reason alone. Makes no difference that Slayers into dudes…I’d totally slip her the tongue. Also…Two words…Bull Durham….sighs

  24. Someonestolemyname says:

    I don’t get the whole relationship with this one, does she like him because he’s way younger and it’s an ego boost for her in some way?
    Is she just trading them in for younger models once they hit a certain age, like some men do? I don’t really know much about her relationships.

    • siri says:

      I would understand it if the guy was “just” 10/15 years her junior- but 31 years? What exactly are they talking about? The life experience couldn’t be more different…I just remember that scene from Bull Durham, where Susan is reciting poetry to a half-naked Tim Robbins, only to have him asking “Are we gonna fuck now, or what?” But I can’t even imagine this Jonathan guy thinking of that…big mystery to me, too 🙂

  25. JenniferJustice says:

    I like Susan Serandon, but she’s in denial because the souls or whatever she’s attracted to, are always young.

  26. DrFunkenstein says:

    LOL Suuuuuuuuure, Susan.

  27. db says:

    I like Susan, and wish her the best. Sometimes relationships do stick, despite large age gaps. I think Joan Collins is still with her husband

  28. Josefa says:

    I feel like from 35 onward age doesn’t matter anymore. Not like people are done maturing by then, but the differences feel much less… pronounced. A 20 year old with someone 40? Eeek. 40 year old with 60 year old? Eh.

  29. andypandy says:

    Why is this news????
    Men do this all the time plus women like Susan Demi etc are always in great shape as compared to their pot bellied male counterparts in similar situations
    Not for me personally and if I can be your Momma or you are the age of my kids it aint happening

  30. Veronica says:

    I admit I find the age difference a little off-putting, but the guy is nearly 40, so it’s not like he’s so young that maturity and experience are a major issue. So I guess, good for her? Fair game if men do it, I suppose.

    • Someonestolemyname says:

      But he was just out of his 20’s when they started dating.
      He was 31….?

      Maybe instead of talking about his soul ,she should just own up to the fact that she likes much, much younger men. Men do it all the time.

  31. Ivana says:

    Get it gurrl.