"House Of Cards" Actress Robin Wright Delayed Fame To Raise Her Children

May 25, 2022

Hollywood actress Robin Wright began her career in entertainment as a model at the age of 14. By the age of 18, Wright had transitioned into acting and landed the role of "Kelly Capwell" in NBC's "Santa Barbara." The then-18-year-old Wright appeared in the series from 1984 to 1988. Wright received several Daytime Emmy Award nominations for her role on the NBC hit series. The rising star transitioned into film, making her film debut as "Princess Buttercup" in "The Princess Bride." The role launched her into fame. Following the success of the film, Wright went on to play in "Forrest Gump," "Blade Runner 2049," and "Wonder Woman." In 994, Wright won the Golden Globe award for Best Supporting Actress for her incredible portrayals of "Jenny" in the critically acclaimed film "Forrest Grump."

At the height of her career, the award-winning actress became involved with actor Sean Penn. The couple met shortly after both of their divorces from their other celebrity spouses. Wright was married to actor Dane Witherspoon. According to People, they met on the set of "Santa Barbara," and their marriage lasted for two years. Penn was formerly married to musical icon Madonna; their marriage lasted four years. The two newly divorced Hollywood stars fell in love fast and hard. In 1991 they welcomed their first child, a daughter, who they named Dylan. A couple of years later, in 1993, the couple welcomed their second child, a son, who they named Hooper. During this time, the actress turned down numerous roles to concentrate on motherhood. According to People, the couple finally wed in 1996 after a brief break. As a mother of two and a wife, Wright set aside her acting career and embraced motherhood. 

Robin Wright's decision to leave acting to invest her time in her children was relatively easy. In an interview with Wales Online, the actress admits she does not regret leaving the entertainment world to raise her children. 

"When I had my kids I always knew that was the priority, and career always came second," the actress told the outlet. "I knew by making that choice to be a full-time mom and turning down commercial movies took me out of the game, I knew that."

Along with turning down roles, Wright moved her children out of L.A. and raised them in Northern California. The "House of Card" actress explained to  Entertainment Weekly why she decided to leave Hollywood.

"I didn't want to raise my kids in this weird, sycophantic society," Wright explained. "If you have celebrity parents, it's not a good recipe for the kids, or anyone at any age. Look at what Brad and Angelina go through."

Wright did everything she could to be a great mother to her children, but her relationship with her husband was far from perfect. The couple's on-again-off-again relationship lasted for 14-years until calling it quits for good in 2010. In an interview with The Telegraph, Wright explained the reason behind her multiple reconciliations with her now-ex-husband Sean Penn. 

 "Divorce in and of itself, and with children, is devastating. Worse than that," Wright said. "One of the reasons why we got back together and broke up so much was trying to keep the family together. If you've got kids, it's a family, and you try again, and you try again. We did that for a long time."

Although their marriage ended, while attending the 74th Cannes Film Festival, Penn posed for a picture with his ex-wife Robin Wright and their two children.

The couple went their separate ways, and each ended up remarrying. In 2018, Robin Wright married Saint Laurent's International VIP Relations Manager, Clement Giraudet, in an intimate ceremony in France, according to Vogue. In an interview with Vanity Fair, Wright explained how her relationship with Sean Penn helped her find the happiness she looks for in a partner. 

 "I believe we were together not only to have our beautiful children but to learn how to love...for the next time around, the right way," Wright told the outlet. "And then, what I'm looking for in people now, is kindness."

Along with finding a new beau, the actress returned to Hollywood and relaunched her career. Wright's talents flourished when she took the role of "Claire Underwood" in Netflix "House of Cards." According to The Verge, Wright winning the Golden Globe for best actress in a T.V. drama for House of Cards gave Netflix its first Golden Globe for an original series. 

Realizing her value to the show, Wright demanded to be paid the same amount as her male co-star, Kevin Spacey. 

"I was like, 'I want to be paid the same as Kevin,'" Wright told Marie Claire. "It was the perfect paradigm. There are very few films or T.V. shows where the male, the patriarch, and the matriarch are equal. And they are in House of Cards."

"I was looking at the statistics and Claire Underwood's character was more popular than [Frank's] for a period of time. So I capitalized on it. I was like, 'You better pay me or I'm going to go public,'" Wright said. "And they did."

Wright's demand paid off. Complex ranked the actress as one of the 20 of Hollywood's highest-paid actors. 

Do you believe it was admirable for Wright to walk away from fame for motherhood? Now that she's back, what is your favorite Robin Wright movie? Let us know, and pass this article on to fellow music Robin Wright fans!