Goldie Hawn, 80, says there’s one reason her relationship with Kurt Russell has lasted more than four decades without marriage.
“Freedom. And I really feel this way, and I always have. And even if we did get married, it wouldn’t make any difference because it’s 42 years now,” Hawn told host Dan Buettner on Thursday’s episode of “The Dan Buettner Podcast.”
Hawn likened the experience to being a bird in a cage.
“If I’m a bird and you leave the cage door open, I may never fly out. But if you close that door, for my freedom and my independence, I would probably take, like, all my feathers off,” Hawn said. “It’s a freedom of self, it’s a freedom of basically, not melding into somebody else.”
Hawn and her partner, Russell, met for the first time in 1966 and reconnected in 1983 after being cast in the romance drama “Swing Shift.” They started dating shortly after, and welcomed one son, Wyatt Russell, together in 1986.
Their blended family includes Russell’s son, Boston, from his marriage to Season Hubley, and Hawn’s children, Oliver and Kate Hudson, from her previous relationship with Bill Hudson.
Hawn, who has been married twice before, said she’s learned that traditional ideas of partnership don’t work for her.
“But, man, this whole idea of becoming one is not my idea of fun. That’s why it works,” she said.
Hawn said she and Russell share a strong bond, and accept that there will be parts of each other they don’t love. But she doesn’t see those imperfections as a good enough reason to walk away from the relationship.
“Why is that a reason to break up? Why is that a reason to say this isn’t working?” Hawn said.
“You might not like it, but is that a reason to suddenly decide that this isn’t working for me?” she continued.
When Buettner asked why she keeps choosing Russell, Hawn listed several reasons.
“Because I have respect for him. Because I think he’s an amazing person. I’m also very sexually attracted to him, and that’s important,” Hawn said, adding that he’s smart and makes her laugh.
She also praised his talent and appearance.
“He’s such a great actor, and I find him incredibly handsome to this day,” she said.
Hawn added that they’re “an unbelievably happy family most of the time,” despite their own individual flaws.
“Why would I want anybody who is perfect? There is no such thing,” she said.
Hawn has long spoken about what she believes makes her relationship with Russell last. In 2024, she told E! News that “good sex” is a key part of it.
“Because sex is something that connects you and creates more belonging. People who have healthy sexual relationships usually last a lot longer. But it’s not just because of the act, it’s because of the warmth and the intimacy that it creates,” she said.
Russell has also shared his perspective on their decision not to marry.
“At that time, we constantly got asked, ‘When are you going to get married? Why aren’t you married?’ And we were like, ‘Why does anybody care about that?’ We’d asked our kids if they cared about it. They didn’t. We didn’t,” Russell told Variety in a 2023 interview.
Other celebrities have also shared their own tips for making relationships last.
In 2024, Bette Midler told Entertainment Tonight that sleeping in separate bedrooms is the reason her marriage has lasted over 40 years.
“My husband snores,” Midler said.
In 2025, Food Network star Ina Garten said her almost 60-year marriage works because they make decisions together.
“And this is what Jeffrey taught me: Let’s figure out how we can both do what we want to do. It’s not about whether we get to do what you want to do or I want to do,” Garten said, referring to her husband, Jeffrey Garten.
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