Sissy Spacek spends 73rd birthday with husband of 50 years, says 'strong understanding' is key to happiness
Renowned singer and actress, Sissy Spacek turned 73 on Christmas day, December 25. She and her husband of 50 years, Jack Frisk, have one of the strongest and longest marriages in Hollywood. Recently, the couple transformed their barn into a studio for painting and recording. Spacek raved about her husband, calling him an amazing artist whom she had learned so much from.
When asked if she had any advice after five decades of marriage, Spacek told Esquire, "Just pick your battles." She added, "I recognized in Irene (her character in 'Night Sky') that when you've been married that long, sometimes you want to bop them on the head. You want to strangle them. That's just part of the long term relationship. You go through so many things that it just deepens and deepens and deepens."
READ MORE
Jane Fonda is 85! With cancer in remission, legend wants to live long for her grandchildren
Brad Pitt is 59! Actor decided to put his children first after family was 'ripped apart'
Spacek gushed about her husband whom she called a "wonderful artist." "He's phenomenal, and I learned so much from him about the artist's life, and about work, and what it involves, and how much you have to give," she said. "You have to give everything up and be focused when you're working. We've shared that." The actress also attributes her huge success to her choice to move to a farm and her relationship with her husband. She claimed that because they both have a strong understanding of one another's motives and interests, they support one another in doing what they love.
According to Esquire magazine, the 'Carrie' actress and her husband moved to Virginia years ago to raise their two children. The couple now has two grandchildren as well. The couple had purchased a property in Virginia to escape Hollywood and live a more quiet lifestyle. Spacek made that choice to preserve their mental health and also to provide her girls with a regular life. The actress wanted to show her children and her husband a new and more serene way of life after realizing how simple it was to become absorbed by a "movie star life."
When asked about her relationship with her daughters, the 'Night Sky' actress told Amomama that their roles have switched and that they now take care of her. She cited a few examples of how her kids have volunteered, like leading the way to the gates whenever they are at the airport. However, in general, her kids take care of her because they value the upbringing they received and want to give back. According to Spacek, her youngest, Madison, is a visual artist like her father, while her oldest, Schulyer, took after her and has a fantastic singing voice.
The couple first met while filming 'Badlands' in 1972 in which Spacek was the lead and Fisk was building the set. The actress claimed that neither she nor her husband truly believed in the concept of marriage, and once they got hitched, they deposited $30 in their savings account because that is how much a divorce would cost.