Married for more than 35 years, Kyra Sedgwick and Kevin Bacon are one of Hollywood's most enduring couples.
After working together on the set on the set of the movie "Lemon Sky," the pair fell in love and married in 1988.
Their long-time relationship is often featured on Bacon's Instagram where his 4 million followers are treated to sweet throwback photos of the couple, along with the occasional song performed by Bacon, Sedgwick and their grown children, Travis, 34, and Sosie, 32, on the family's Connecticut farm.
When it comes to Bacon's often-viral posts, Sedgwick tells TODAY.com during a sit-down interview that her husband is the true mastermind behind their success.
“The ones that we do together are always Kevin Bacon’s idea,” she laughs. “I wish they were mine, but they’re not. I obviously add a lot to the party, but they’re usually instigated by him.”
The couple's longevity is often the subject of speculation and during a 2023 appearance on TODAY, Bacon revealed that the secret behind their marriage is, in fact, having no secret.
“No secret. Never have the secret,” said Bacon, who joked, “The secret is don’t ask a celebrity on how to stay married.”
While there might not be any secrets, so to speak, Bacon told TODAY.com that after so long together, naturally, there are challenges.
The biggest? “Getting the temperature in the car correct so that we’re both happy,” he joked.
To get Sedgwick's perspective, TODAY.com posed the same question. "The Closer" actor got serious with her answer.
"The challenge is knowing that one of us will be alone one day," Sedgwick say. “The truth is, one of us will be alone and that’s heartbreaking."
Though it might be a difficult reality to accept, Sedgwick says it's important to recognize that, as hard as it may be, it's inevitable.
“I don’t think it’s bad to have a death practice, honestly, to know that you’re going to die one day. So, today is the day that you’re going to remember that and do something different. Just cherish. It just helps to cherish,” she says.
Returning to the stage
A veteran of the stage, film and television, Sedgwick got her start on the daytime soap “Another World” before graduating to the big screen with turns in movies like “Born on the Fourth of July and “Something to Talk About.”
After a decades-long break, Sedgwick is returning to the New York stage in the new Off-Broadway show, "All of Me," at The Pershing Square Signature Center.
"It's a romantic comedy slash dysfunctional family drama," Sedgwick says, calling the new show "very funny" and "very moving." She plays the mom of two daughters living in Schenectady, New York, one of whom has muscular dystrophy.
According to Sedgwick, the two romantic leads in "All of Me" are both played by actors who use wheelchairs. They communicate using text-to-speech technology, which Sedgwick says "really supports the comedy in a great way."
"It's something fresh and new that we haven't seen before," she explains.
Having been away from the demands of performing daily for a considerable chunk of time, Sedgwick says that returning to theater is both wonderful and challenging at the same time.
"It's like you kind of wish that you could do the play in the morning because then you have the whole rest of the day. So, the idea of doing it every evening is a little frightening," she says laughing.
That said, Sedgwick says the reward is connecting with the audience. "You get so much energy from the audience, you really do," Sedgwick explains. "And you do it to move people and touch people and tell a great story."
Unfinished business
Throughout her tenured career, Sedgwick has earned numerous accolades and awards including a Primetime Emmy for her portrayal of Brenda Leigh Johnson on the TNT cop drama "The Closer,' a series she starred in for more than seven seasons.
However, it's her children, Travis, 34, and Sosie, 32, that Sedgwick counts as her greatest accomplishments.
"No question. I think to birth humans and watch them grow into people that you are proud of, that are good citizens, that are living in the world with a lot of empathy and a lot of purpose, I find that to be the thing I'm most proud of for sure," Sedgwick says.
As for what comes next? Sedgwick's turn in the Off-Broadway production of "All of Me" runs through June. Then, she and husband, Bacon, will once again share the big screen for the first time in 20 years in the upcoming film "Connescence," which has yet to set a release date.
Beyond that, does she have any unfinished business?
"I never finish growing. I grow all the time, every year, every day. That's an unfinished business," says Sedgwick.
"I want to keep making work that inspires people and exercises their compassion," she says. That's my job on this earth."
