How Jeff Bridges & Wife Susan Fell In Love After She Rejected His First Date Offer

It may seem like a fairytale, but 60% of people reportedly fall in love at first sight, according to Cleveland Clinic. You can count "The Big Lebowski" star Jeff Bridges as one of the romantics, as he told People in an October 2020 interview that he knew his wife, Susan, was the one immediately. However, that doesn't mean the feeling was mutual right off the bat.

The couple met in 1975, when Jeff was filming "Rancho Deluxe" outside of Livingston, Montana. Susan was a waitress at the Chico Hot Springs (a key location for several scenes in the film) and had recently gotten into a car accident. Despite her injuries, Jeff recalled in a 2018 interview on the "Today" show: "I was doing a scene with Sam Waterston and Harry Dean Stanton, and I cannot take my eyes off this ... Gorgeous girl with two black eyes and a broken nose. The juxtaposition of that disfigurement and the beauty, it had me." The "Tron" actor worked up the courage to eventually ask her out, only to be flatly turned down – although, she did suggest that they would probably run into each other again soon.

That day would come at the perfect time, as the two reconnected at a local bar when "She came to the wrap party, and we danced and fell in love and boom, that was it." However, it does take a lot more than that instant spark to sustain a relationship for nearly 50 years.

One might assume that the love of your life rejecting you is a memory you may want to let go of, but Jeff and Susan Bridges seem to hold that initial meeting close to their hearts. The "True Grit" actor actually keeps a photo of their initial meeting in his wallet, as a makeup artist from the "Rancho Deluxe" set happened to immortalize the moment forever. 

Besides having a wonderful sense of humor about it, it was also a very grounding experience for the young actor as he navigated a potential future for himself. However, three children and several grandchildren later, Jeff couldn't be more secure in his instinct. Susan supported him through his 2020 cancer diagnosis, and, ever the romantic, even his goals through remission were focused on love. 

While the "Crazy Heart" actor has thankfully fully recovered, it's the toughest times in a relationship that he attributes to making it stronger. As Jeff told People: "We are quite different as people, and we celebrate that rather than making it drive us apart. I respect her wisdom... I've really been blessed." In his "Today" show interview, he explained: "The easy answer about how you keep a marriage going is you don't get a divorce. It's when those big challenges, those upsets come up in your relationship, those are real opportunities to get to know each other more and to become more intimate with each other and try to see what makes each other tick."