Diane Keaton on Why Marriage Never Felt Like the Right Path
Diane Keaton frequently spoke about her choice to remain unmarried, despite her romantic involvement with some of Hollywood’s most sought-after bachelors throughout the 1970s.
“Today I was contemplating this. I’m 73, and I believe I am the only individual in my generation, and perhaps earlier ones, who has been a single woman her entire life,” she shared with People in 2019.
The acclaimed actress — who passed away at age 79 on October 11 — maintained several prominent relationships with her Hollywood co-stars early in her professional journey. Keaton served as an inspiration for actor-director Woody Allen during their multi-year partnership, in addition to romantic pairings with her Godfather co-star Al Pacino and her Reds co-star Warren Beatty.
Keaton embraced motherhood relatively late in life, adopting her daughter Dexter and son Duke in her 50s, yet she never felt compelled to formalize a marital bond.
Diane Keaton's Romantic History Over the Years
Continue reading for a compilation of Keaton’s remarks on her reasons for never marrying.
The Correct Path
Keaton provided a direct answer during a 1996 ABC News interview when questioned about why she “never tied the knot.”
“I think I never married because I didn’t wish to get married,” Keaton responded. “I opted not to marry, and for the individuals I was involved with, it was preferable that we weren’t wed. I made the appropriate choice.”
An Eccentric Person
In her 2019 conversation with People, Keaton hinted that marriage might not have suited her because she perceived herself as an outsider.
“I believe I’m peculiar,” she quipped. “I understand nothing, and I haven’t acquired knowledge. Growing older hasn’t made me any wiser.”
Keaton contended that “something was absent in me” and that a husband would require someone who “cared for” them, a role she felt incapable of fulfilling.
“I’m an unconventional person,” she admitted. “I recall one day in high school, a guy approached me and remarked, ‘Someday you’ll be an excellent wife.’ And I thought, ‘I have no desire to be a wife. Absolutely not.’”
‘Captivated By Talent’
The star of First Wives Club refuted the critical notion that she might have felt “unhappy” about her unmarried status.
“[I’m not sad] because I think I needed a stronger maternal element,” she informed People. “I don’t believe it would have been wise for me to have married, and I’m genuinely glad I didn’t, and I’m sure they are content about it too.”
She elaborated, “In my youth, I sought affection from these remarkable individuals. I believe I shouldn't have been so swayed by talent. When both partners are engaged in the same profession, it’s not ideal. I should have sought out a genuinely kind person, someone more inclined towards family life.”
Mixed Emotions
Speaking to YouTuber Kjersti Flaa in 2019, Keaton considered whether she was “truly being truthful” when she claimed she never wanted to “be someone’s wife.”
“I did say that, and sometimes I think that’s not entirely accurate,” she confessed. “I think, in theory, it might have been a truly good idea to be married because I believe it is indeed an important, wonderful establishment for people to unite, remain together, and share a life. However, I don’t think I possessed the capacity for it.”
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Keaton suggested it would have been “demanding” to have “assumed the role [her] mother held” as a homemaker.
“I didn’t desire that. I didn’t want to have my mother’s role,” she insisted. “I observed that she harbored much ambition that she couldn’t fulfill due to raising four children and having a husband in the ‘50s.”
‘A Different Kind of Affection’
Keaton emphasized in that 2019 interview that, “since marriage never actually occurred,” she cultivated “a distinct form of love” for other individuals in her life.
“I truly cherish the family I have … those people are exceptionally, exceptionally important to me and my friends,” she added.
Ideal Spouse
While Keaton often gave thoughtful answers when discussing matrimony, she once playfully contemplated whether one particular Hollywood heartthrob might alter her perspective.
“Who will [marry me]?” she jested on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2015, before responding: “Hold on, oh. Channing Tatum?”
After host Ellen DeGeneres delivered the news that Tatum was wed at the time to Jenna Dewan, Keaton offered a light-hearted complaint: “Channing Tatum is actually married to someone else… not me?”
