James Cameron Reflects on Marriage as a Skill You Develop Over Time After 4 Divorces

James Cameron Reflects on Marital Journey in Recent Interview

In a recent interview, director James Cameron opened up about the lessons he has learned through his five marriages, highlighting the challenges he faced during his first four unions. Cameron, who has been married to Suzy Amis Cameron since 2000, acknowledged the importance of actively working to foster happiness in a relationship.

At 71, Cameron candidly discussed his past marriages to Sharon Williams, Gale Hurd, Kathryn Bigelow, and Linda Hamilton while appearing on the podcast In Depth with Graham Bensinger. “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 remarked.

Cameron elaborated on his struggles, stating, “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.” However, he expressed optimism about his current marriage, adding, “Now I’ve been married happily and have earned that happiness… It’s a learned art.”

The couple met in 1997 during the filming of Titanic and married in 2000. They share three children, alongside Suzy’s son Jasper Robards and Cameron’s eldest daughter Josephine Archer Cameron from his marriage to Hamilton.

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Photo: Suzy Amis Cameron and James Cameron on Jan. 15, 2023. Kevin Winter/Getty

During the interview, Cameron shared that he believes couples should invest more energy into nurturing their relationships rather than focusing on elaborate wedding ceremonies. “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.

He reflected on his past attitudes about love, explaining that earlier in life, he viewed relationships conditionally. “As long as you still love me, I’ll love you… But the second that’s no longer the case, hasta la vista. And that doesn’t work,” he noted.

Cameron highlighted the self-realization he gained from his experiences, stating he is now the "common denominator" in each of his past divorces. He admitted to enduring lengthy relationships, such as his seven-year marriage with Hamilton, noting, “We loved each other, we just didn’t get along.”

Lastly, he expressed that his drive for romantic connections often stemmed from admiration for his partners. “I fall in love with people I can learn from… but I think I didn’t pre-select well enough for people that could stand me, that I could stand them,” he concluded.

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Photo: James Cameron and Suzy Amis Cameron on Dec. 5, 2025. Pascal Le Segretain/Getty