James Cameron says marriage is ‘a learned art’ as he reflects on his four divorces

LOS ANGELES: Oscar-winning filmmaker James Cameron has described marriage as a “learned art,” reflecting on his personal journey after four divorces and a long-lasting marriage with his wife, Suzy Amis Cameron, according to People.

Cameron, 71, spoke about his relationship with wife Suzy Amis Cameron and his past marriages to Sharon Williams, Gale Hurd, Kathryn Bigelow and Linda Hamilton during his recent appearance on the In Depth with Graham Bensinger podcast as part of his press tour for Avatar: Fire and Ash.

“Let’s contextualize that. That’s a fact, but let’s look at the fact that I was also married four times for less than a year – actively married,” he said, when interviewer Graham Bensinger noted that he has been married five times, as per People.

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“There was always a little bit of a long sort of decay curve through separation and divorce, but actively married, cohabitating for one year, four times. So I wasn’t very good at it,” Cameron added. “And now I’ve been married happily and have earned that happiness, which you find out that you have to work at it for 25 years, and going strong and looking forward to the next 25 years. So, I think it’s a learned art,” as quoted by the outlet.

Cameron married Suzy Amis Cameron in 2000 after first meeting her in 1997 when she appeared in Titanic. The couple share three children. Amis also has a son, Jasper Robards, from her previous marriage to actor Sam Robards, while Cameron shares his eldest daughter, Josephine Archer Cameron, with former wife Linda Hamilton.

During the interview, the filmmaker also questioned the emphasis placed on lavish weddings. He suggested that couples should instead invest their energy in building a lasting relationship. “Put all that effort and energy into the work it takes to really be with somebody relationally for a long period of time,” Cameron said.

He emphasised the importance of understanding a partner’s needs, stating, “Because you’re constantly learning about the other person. I think you have to make a pact with yourself to actively want to make them happy,” he said. “Not your version of what should make them happy, but what actually makes them happy.”

“And that’s a learned thing,” The Terminator director continued. “Because earlier on, I was very, it was sort of like, conditional. ‘As long as you still love me, I’ll love you.’ Right? Or, ‘As long as this is still worth it for both of us, or even just worth it for me, I’ll be in it. But the second that’s no longer the case, hasta la vista.’ And that doesn’t work. And it took me a while to realize that,” he said, as quoted by People.

Reflecting on his earlier marriages, Cameron acknowledged his own role in their failure. “I was the common denominator,” he said, adding that love alone does not always translate into compatibility. He concluded by noting that while he admired his former partners, including Gale Hurd, Kathryn Bigelow and Linda Hamilton, lasting coexistence requires more than mutual respect and affection.

“Linda Hamilton and I hung on for a long time, long, long after we probably should have. We were together for seven years,” the Oscar winner said. “And we loved each other, we just didn’t get along, and when you realize that that’s possible — that you can really love somebody but just not get along, not cohabitate, not coexist.”

“I fall in love with people I can learn from. So I fall in love with somebody that I admired greatly. I admired Gale greatly. I admired Katherine greatly. I admired Linda greatly, but I think I didn’t pre-select well enough for people that could stand me, that I could stand them. Everybody’s got their habits and their ways,” he concluded,” as quoted by People. (ANI)