Jeff Bridges – Secrets to a Happy Marriage

 In Marriage


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Oscar-winning actor Jeff Bridges dished some marriage advice along with his political pitch for ending childhood hunger when he took the podium Wednesday at the National Press Club in Washington.

The first step? “Falling madly in love helps,” Bridges told USA TODAY’s Donna Leinwand. Bridges has been married to Susan Geston Bridges for 33 years. “For me and my wife, it was love at first sight.”

Bridges carries in his pocket two photos taken by a crew member on the set of Rancho Mirage in 1975 that show him asking Geston out. At the time, she was working as a maid on the ranch in Montana where the movie was filmed.

“What are the odds of that? Capturing a photograph of the first words you ever uttered to your wife – asking her out and her saying, ‘No,'” Bridges said. “That’s my prized possession.”

The keys to a happy marriage, he says, are listening to one another and paying attention.

Bridges, in the Washington uniform of a navy blue suit, starched white shirt and striped tie, announced No Kid Hungry, a plan developed by Share Our Strength to end childhood huger in the USA by 2015. The organization is partnering with states to improve access to federal nutrition programs, such as school lunches and breakfasts. No Kid Hungry will launch in New Orleans on Nov. 12, followed by New Mexico on Dec. 15.

“Poverty is a very complicated issue, but feeding a child isn’t,” Bridges said. “Ending hunger is important for our nation.”

But a visit to Washington wouldn’t be complete without lobbying the folks in the Capitol. Bridges urged Congress to pass a child nutrition bill, which has passed the Senate and is awaiting a vote in the House.

“I invite the viewers out there in TV land to call their congressman,” he said.

Bridges also gave a shout out to the Coen brothers, directors of his next film, True Grit. He worked with the Coens before on the 1998 cult classic The Big Lewbowski.

“They are masters,” he said. “If they’re throwing a party, you want to go.”

“The Dude” also discussed some of his toughest roles. “Anyone ever see The Vanishing?” he asked. “I played a terrible person. I buried people alive, so that was kind of challenging.”

His Oscar-winning role in Crazy Heart was challenging “because music is so dear to me” and he was working with musicians he admired.

More than any role, he says working to end hunger “is the most significant thing I’ve ever done.”

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