"We’re a bit of an anomaly": Sam Taylor-Johnson addresses 24-year age gap with husband Aaron Taylor-Johnson says it "doesn't really matter" by now

Sam Taylor-Johnson opened up about her relationship with her husband Aaron Taylor-Johnson in her interview with The Guardian, published on Saturday, April 6, 2024. Talking about their 24-year age gap, the director told the newspaper,

"It comes up on the outside perspective of people who don’t know us, because I guess people will always... Aaron and I are a bit of an anomaly, but it’s that thing: after 14 years you just think, surely by now it doesn’t matter?"

The couple has continued to raise eyebrows for their large age difference since they began dating. Sam met Aaron on the set of the John Lennon biopic, Nowhere Boy which she was directing. At the time, she was 42 and Aaron was only 18.

---

Sam Taylor-Johnson and Aaron Taylor-Johnson married in 2012

Talking about working on Nowhere Boy, the couple told Harper's Bazaar there was no "funny business" on the set and they were "very professional."

"As soon as we finished (filming), he told me he was going to marry me. We had never been on a date, or even kissed," Sam told the the publication.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson added that he proposed in 2009 exactly one year after they met. The couple tied the knot in 2012 and soon welcomed two daughters Wylda Rae, 12, and Romy Hero, 13. Aaron is also step-father to Sam's daughters from her first marriage to art dealer Jay Jopling, Angelica, 26, and Jessie Phoenix, 17.

Sam Taylor-Johnson explained to The Guardian their relationship would "never have worked" if she questioned anything. She stated that she was a believer that the heart "overrides everything," and that "love conquers all."

Putting questions on whether their kids face any backlash due to their age difference to rest, the three-time BAFTA nominated director remarked,

"Not really. Or, if so, I don’t think they care. They see two loving, happy parents so it doesn’t really register. They just think people are a bit mean, or mad."

Sam added that there are times when the scrutiny becomes "uncomfortable." But they try to "zone it out" and "stay pretty private." Tending to their kids, she explains, keeps them occupied and "grounded."

Aaron, too separately addressed his critics in a March 2024 interview with Rolling Stone UK claiming that he was an "old soul" owing to his childhood acting days. "What most people were doing in their 20s, I was doing when I was 13," he told the magazine.

Aaron who lives with Sam Taylor-Johnson and his daughters on a farm in Somerset, England, told the magazine the scrutiny is not always "kick*ss." Slamming the critics, he commented,

"You’re doing something too quickly for someone else? I don’t understand that. What speed are you supposed to enjoy life at? It’s bizarre to me."

On a more positive note, Sam added that the age difference doesn't make any difference as her marriage to Aaron outlived that of her ex-husband.

One of the more recent rumors surrounding the couple includes many calling Sam Taylor-Johnson a "groomer" on social media. When asked whether she avoids going online she replied in the negative, stating that it "doesn't mean anything."

"It is just people upset with their own sadness; with misgivings about their own life," she added.

---

Sam Taylor-Johnson is currently promoting her upcoming biopic Back to Black, featuring Marisa Abela as Amy Winehouse. The film is scheduled for a May 17, 2024 release in the United States.