Aaron Taylor-Johnson Defends Marriage To His Much Older Wife Amid Grooming Accusations
Aaron Taylor-Johnson has responded to the criticism over his marriage to his wife, Sam Taylor-Johnson, who is 24 years his senior.
The 33-year-old British actor, who met his wife of nearly 12 years when he was a teenager, defended his marriage to the 57-year-old director, noting that he was used to moving at an accelerated pace in both his personal life and career.
"You're doing something too quickly for someone else? I don't understand that," Taylor-Johnson told Rolling Stone U.K. of the judgment toward the decisions he makes in his personal life. "What speed are you supposed to enjoy life at? It's bizarre to me."
"What you gotta realize is that what most people were doing in their 20s, I was doing when I was 13," he also said.
Taylor-Johnson and Sam met when she directed him in the 2009 John Lennon biopic, "Nowhere Boy." At the time, he was reportedly 18, and Sam was around 42.
The pair tied the knot in 2012 when he was 22 and welcomed two daughters, Wylda Rae, 13, and Romy Hero, 11. Sam also has two daughters from a previous marriage, Angelica, 25, and Jessie, 15.
During his interview, Taylor-Johnson also praised his wife's work as a director, which includes 2015's "Fifty Shades of Grey" and the upcoming Amy Winehouse biopic "Back to Black."
But Taylor-Johnson, who also teamed up with his wife on 2018's "A Million Little Pieces," admitted that collaborating with Sam comes with some challenges, with criticism of their work sometimes feeling like it's aimed at their relationship.
"There's a protectiveness that I feel; I think it's really difficult. There's also part of me that feels like if something didn't work, I'm the one that's responsible," he told the magazine.
Despite this, speculations about the couple's marriage continue to swirl on social media, with some fans accusing Sam of allegedly "grooming" Taylor-Johnson when he was a teen.
"Sam Taylor-Johnson groomed Aaron when he was 17. She was 40 years old with a husband [and] two children when she abused her power as a director. Instead of guiding him creatively, she manipulated a minor and then had a child with him, while he was still a teenager," one user alleged on X, formerly Twitter.
Another wrote, "Everyone talking about Leonardo DiCaprio being a predator is a hypocrite. Aaron Taylor Johnson's wife was a 42-year-old director when she met him at 18 on a film where she was his boss. They married 3 years later. She a predator too? Or is this just 'boss b***h' behavior?"
Some also pointed out how Sam's oldest child from her previous marriage was just seven years younger than Taylor-Johnson.
"Imagine your stepdad being 7 years older than you," one TikTok user commented under a video alleging Taylor-Johnson was a victim of grooming. The clip has accumulated over 12.3 million views and 750,000 "likes" as of this writing.
But many others have also defended the couple's relationship, with one TikTok user writing: "They've been together for like a decade. Clearly, their relationship works for them. Why can't people mind their own business?"
Another commented, "His body, his life, his decision."
Taylor-Johnson and Sam seemingly shut down the accusations in 2019, telling Harper's Bazaar that there was "no funny business at all" between them during the filming of "Nowhere Boy."
"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 claimed.
Taylor-Johnson also shared that he popped the big question to Sam in 2009, "exactly one year to the minute" after they met.
Earlier this month, Taylor-Johnson took to Instagram to post a sweet tribute to his wife as she celebrated her 57th birthday.
Alongside a photo of him and Sam embracing each other, the actor described the director as "an exceptional woman" and "the most wonderful doting mother and beautiful role model to our 4 daughters."
Taylor-Johnson continued to gush, "A gorgeous loving wife, you are my love, my soulmate and I'm always blown away by you. [You're] so cool. I couldn't be more proud and excited for this year ahead for you."
