Sean Penn Opens Up About Madonna Split: Fond Memories

Sean Penn recently gave his thoughts on his divorce from Madonna and how they managed to stay friends throughout the years despite the split. 

The actor offered a glimpse into their relationship during an appearance on "The Louis Theroux Podcast" posted Monday, while discussing Madonna's confession years ago that Penn was the love of her life. 

During his latest interview, the two-time Oscar winner said his ex-wife's remarks were "very sweet" when asked whether he recalled what she had said. 

"I do," he told Theroux, according to Billboard. "Look, she's been a good friend for a lot of years."

Penn went on to speak about his four-year marriage to Madonna. Although they divorced in 1989, the pair remained on good terms afterward.

"It didn't take us long to realize that we had mistaken a good first date for a wedding partner," Penn said. "It didn't take us long to recover after we got divorced, maybe a year, in a friendship. I have a lot of fond memories of it – it's not all jail."

Penn admitted that they had struggled to get past obstacles during their marriage, though.

"There was a lot of alcohol and she'd be fairly accusing me of that," he said. 

After her marriage to Penn ended, Madonna tied the knot with director Guy Ritchie in 2000, though they parted ways in 2008. Penn, meanwhile, married Robin Wright in 1996, but they split in 2010. He later married Leila George, with that relationship ending in 2022.

A new Madonna biopic is moving forward. As reported by Deadline, the pop icon is now collaborating with "Deadpool & Wolverine" producer Shawn Levy on a Netflix limited series chronicling her life and career.

The upcoming limited series is not tied to the previously planned Madonna biopic at Universal, which had cast three-time Emmy winner Julia Garner to portray the pop legend, the outlet noted. 

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