Diane Keaton Admits She’s ‘Kind Of Odd’ & Believes She’ll Stay Single For The Rest Of Her Life
Apr 13, 2023 by apost team
Actress Diane Keaton has been working in Hollywood since 1966. She has achieved many accolades since then, including an Academy Award, British Academy Film Award, two Golden Globe Awards and the American Film Institute Life Achievement Award. While she is a celebrated performer, Keaton has chosen a less traditional family life for herself, despite having had several successful relationships in the past.
She began her career in entertainment, performing on Broadway. In 1969 she received a Tony Award for her performance in "Play it Again, Sam," when she was linked to Woody Allen. Transitioning mainly to film, she won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1977 for her role in Allen's movie "Annie Hall." One of her other best-known films is "The Godfather," where she played Kay Adams-Corleone. It was then in 1972 that she developed a crush on her co-star Al Pacino. The pair got together after filming the sequel "The Godfather II" and broke up sometime after the third film was released.
In her personal life, Keaton has long since stopped dating, has foregone marriage and instead chosen to adopt two children, saying that motherhood is one of the most rewarding things she's ever done. She spoke with People in August 2022 about how her life has changed in recent years.
Previously, the actress had opened up about her dating life during an InStyle interview. She said while she has several male friends, men never ask her out. "I have a lot of friends, but no dates. No mwah-mwah," she admitted to the publication.
This was not the first time Keaton spoke about relationships. The 77-year-old once told People, "I don't think it would have been a good idea for me to have married, and I'm really glad I didn't." The actress admitted: "I haven't been on a date in, I would say, 35 years. No dates."
Keaton told People: "I'm 73 and I think I'm the only one in my generation and maybe before who has been a single woman all her life. I don't think it would have been a good idea for me to have married, and I'm really glad I didn't, and I'm sure they're happy about it too.”
While she may not have found a suitable partner, she still has a family. Keaton adopted her daughter Dexter in 1996 and her son Duke in 2001. The actress has often spoken in interviews about how having children changed her life. In speaking with Film Monthly, she said: "Motherhood has completely changed me. It's just about like the most completely humbling experience that I've ever had. I think that it puts you in your place because it really forces you to address the issues that you claim to believe in and if you can't stand up to those principles when you're raising a child, forget it."
Keaton admitted that, prior to adopting, she was "such a horribly demanding person, expecting men to constantly think that I'm engaging or all of those things that are just deadly for a relationship." She continued, touching on how her children seemed to mellow her out, as she said, "So my feeling is that with children, you really have to be your best self, always, and be honest."
Keaton added, "I think that children are completely challenging and completely intoxicating.”
apost.com
She continued: "I'm completely in love with my kids, but I also realize that I have to try and be a better person everyday. I have to wake up and say, 'OK, use your brain, and not your impulses,' because all my life, I've used my impulses and not my brains, a lot." She added that raising Dexter and Duke has, of course, at times been challenging "in the sense that you have to really be careful about how you give your love, what you expect in return, and your own selfishness."
While Keaton had mentioned her father's passing as part of what caused her to question her purpose in life and ultimately motivated her to adopt, she also said that she wasn't entirely drawn to motherhood. She told Access Online in 2008, "It was more like a thought I'd been thinking for a very long time ... So I plunged in."
The decision was clearly the right one, as Keaton has since raised both kids into lovely adults. Keaton somewhat shields her little family from the prying eyes of the public, an insider shared that she "has always been very private about her kids, even now that they're older, but she's so proud of them." When her daughter, Dexter, got married and Keaton had the opportunity to walk her down the aisle, she commented that the moment was one of her "lifetime highs."
Both children accompanied Keaton to her Hand and Foot Ceremony at Hollywood's TCL Chinese Theater. When asked what it meant to have them there, Keaton responded that it meant "everything."
Diane Keaton (2019), (Rodin Eckenroth/WireImage via Getty Images)While Keaton once candidly said she hadn’t been on a date in 35 years, in 2023, she told Extra that it was probably about 15 years. “They probably just thought, ‘Enough’s enough … she’s too weird.’ I’m kind of odd, but I’m doing fine,” Keaton said.
She added: “Someday … someone will marry me … Maybe one of these nice men today who have to deal with me today.”
According to AARP, Keaton proudly showed off her eccentric side in an Instagram video of herself dancing to “Flowers” by Miley Cyrus. “It was just one of those days when I thought, I’m going to do something stupid,” she told AARP. “The music was on, I was outdoors and thought, What the heck. It happened out of nothing.”
It's evident that, nowadays, Keaton is very happy with her personal life and the decision she made to become a single parent. As far as she's concerned, being married is not a top priority, no matter what age she is.
"I don't think that because I'm not married it's made my life any less," she said. "That old maid myth is garbage." Keaton also added, "It's not the worst tragedy. But I really wish I had bought myself a man. A good man who would be a great father, I really do. I think it's a better way to go."
Every now and then, the actress will share glimpses of her personal life with her kids on Instagram for the world to see, showing just how much she thrives as a mother. We're excited to see what else is in this talented woman's future!
Duke, Diane Keaton (2009), (Noel Vasquez/Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images)What do you think about Diane Keaton's candid remarks about being single? What is your favorite film of hers? Let us know, and be sure to pass this along to your loved ones.