Sean Penn finds joy in being single: 'Thrilled every day'

Sean Penn, 63, has embraced the freedom of being single and has no fears of heartbreak, he revealed in an interview with The New York Times published on June 22.

"I'm just free. If I'm going to be in a relationship, I'm still going to be free, or I'm not going to be in it, and I'm not going to be hurting," Penn said, emphasising his newfound perspective on romance.

"I don't sense I'll have my heart broken by romance again."

Earlier, from 1985 to 1989, Penn was wed to Madonna. His son Hopper Jack Penn, 30, and daughter Dylan Frances Penn, 33, were born into their marriage in 1996.

In 2020, following their 2010 divorce, he wed Australian actress Leila George. George filed for divorce in October 2021, which was finally completed in April 2022. 

Additionally, he has been romantically associated with Scarlett Johansson, Olga Korotyayeva, and Charlize Theron.

While reflecting on his love life, the two-time Oscar winner reminisced instances where "the first thing I see in the morning are eyes wondering what I’m going to do to make them happy that day. Rarely reciprocated."

"On one of my marriages, the background noise of life was a [Real] Housewives of Beverly Hills or another thing called Love Island. Not even being in the room — I’m not saying this to be cute — I was dying. I felt my heart, my brain shrinking," he said.

"It was an assault."

Penn's latest film costarring Dakota Johnson, Daddio, will open in cinemas on June 28.