Madonna and Sean Penn’s brief but highly publicized marriage in the mid-80s made a lot of waves in the media. The couple tied the knot in 1985 but split up just four years later, in 1989. Now, nearly 40 years after their divorce, Sharon Oreck, who worked with Madonna and directed some of her iconic music videos, is opening up about the tumultuous relationship in the new documentary Becoming Madonna.
In the documentary, Oreck shares that Madonna was deeply in love with Sean Penn at the time, but a number of issues eventually led to their breakup. She explained that while Madonna had strong feelings for Penn, their relationship seemed to be heavily influenced by public perception. “It felt as if the attraction between them was fueled by the public,” Oreck said. At the time, Sean was a rising movie star, and Madonna was gaining fame as a rock star, with the media and the public pushing the idea that they were a perfect couple.
Oreck also highlighted how the couple’s relationship was much more than just love; it was a huge spectacle. When they first started dating, both were in the early stages of their careers, and their relationship quickly became the talk of the town. Oreck recalled that when the news of their romance broke, it was like “a bomb went off.”
The couple decided to get married only six months after meeting on the set of a music video. At the time, Sean was 25, and Madonna was 27. Their wedding day was nothing short of chaotic—Madonna later revealed that she could hardly hear her vows due to the helicopters circling above the venue. This was just one of the many dramatic moments surrounding their wedding. The director of the 1985 film Desperately Seeking Susan, Susan Seidelman, recalled how Sean was visibly upset about the helicopters, even writing a defiant message in the sand for the choppers to see.
Madonna’s brother, Christopher Ciccone, also commented on the craziness surrounding their wedding day, suggesting that it might have been a sign of the problems to come. He said Madonna was trying to stop Sean from doing anything foolish, and in hindsight, he thought the chaos at the wedding might have foreshadowed the relationship’s eventual collapse.
Despite the intense media attention and their initial passion, the couple’s marriage was already on rocky ground within two years. Madonna filed for divorce in 1987, and the official separation was finalized in 1989. At the time, a spokesperson for Madonna told People magazine that there wasn’t one specific incident that led to the split. Instead, it was a “series of cumulative pressures” that made the relationship unsustainable. The spokesperson added that there were many moments in the marriage that were unstable, and Madonna eventually had to face the reality that they weren’t happy together.
For those interested in hearing more about Madonna’s early life and career, Becoming Madonna is now available for streaming on the Sky Documentaries channel.