Inside Amy Adams And Darren Le Gallo's Marriage
Amy Adams has been a fixture of the big screen — and the Academy Awards nominations list — since the mid-'00s. But for the most part, the beloved actor has impressively managed to keep her private life almost entirely out of the public eye.
You might not even know that the "Enchanted" star has been in a relationship with the same man, artist and musician Darren Le Gallo, since the turn of the century, for example. Their story includes happy milestones, a new addition, and Crocs — suffice to say, it's a lovely love story.
So while that first Oscar remains frustratingly elusive — Adams has had six nods without a win — the former ballerina can take some consolation in the fact that she appears to have one of the most stable marriages in all of Hollywood. Here's a look at what makes the loved-up pair tick.
Amy Adams initially scared Darren Le Gallo
After Amy Adams already appeared in beauty pageant spoof "Drop Dead Gorgeous" and the straight-to-DVD "Cruel Intentions" sequel, she believed her acting skills needed some honing. As Vanity Fair noted, she enrolled in drama classes taught by legendary coach Warner Loughlin in 2001, and it's fair to say she got more than she bargained for.
As well as developing the talent that would later see her pick up two Golden Globes, Adams met the love of her life, fellow aspiring actor Darren Le Gallo. However, both were already seeing other people at the time. And as the "Arrival" star recalled to Vanity Fair in 2008, she initially didn't pay her future husband much attention. In fact, Adams was so focused on learning her craft she believes that Le Gallo was "a little scared" of her.
Nevertheless, in the same magazine article, Loughlin recognized why Le Gallo was still very much attracted: "It's hard to say what first caught Darren's eye, but any red-blooded male would be hard pressed not to fall in love with her. She is wildly intelligent, enormously creative, giving, loving, kind, and has energy for days."
Their relationship began after they worked together
Darren Le Gallo has enjoyed minor roles in several of wife Amy Adams' movies. In 2012 he played a dinner guest in Paul Thomas Anderson's Scientology-inspired psychological drama "The Master." That same year he also appeared as a nurse in Clint Eastwood's baseball tale "Trouble with the Curve." But the first time they shared the screen together was in "Pennies."
Shot in 2001 but only released five years later, the short film saw Adams take center stage as a single mother waitress whose young daughter is held to ransom, while Le Gallo played a supporting character called Cowboy Jim. It doesn't sound like the ideal romance-blossoming scenario. Yet it was while making the 24-minute thriller that the pair finally realized they were made for each other.
"I got to know him outside of class," Adams recounted to Vanity Fair in 2008. "And I just found him to be such a genuine, caring person. And assertive! He demanded that we go out on a date. He said, 'I know you're getting over this [other] guy, but I'm taking you out on Wednesday.' I think that was it exactly. And I was like, 'And so you are!'"
The Oscars hosted their red carpet debut
In 2006, Amy Adams received the first of no fewer than six career Academy Award nominations for her supporting turn as Ashley Johnsten in indie drama "Junebug." However, as with the five other occasions, the actor wasn't successful on the night, as the statuette went to "The Constant Gardener" star Rachel Weisz. That said, she didn't appear to take the loss too hard.
Indeed, following the ceremony, Adams spent the rest of the evening partying with future husband Darren Le Gallo at a bash hosted by Vanity Fair. This proved to be quite the monumental date night for the pair, too. As well as attending the most prestigious event on the Hollywood calendar for the first time, Adams and Le Gallo were pictured on the red carpet together for the first time.
Le Gallo obviously enjoyed the experience. He also was in his wife's corner when she was nominated for her performances in "Doubt," "The Fighter," "The Master," "American Hustle," and "Vice." And he no doubt made a good shoulder to cry on when Adams had to watch someone else give their acceptance speech each and every time.
Amy Adams and Darren Le Gallo weren't in a rush to wed
Amy Adams and Darren Le Gallo obviously prefer the patient approach when it comes to their relationship. They only got together several months after they first met. They only got engaged a full seven years later. And then it was a further seven years before they finally made it down the aisle.
As USA Today reported at the time, Le Gallo popped the question with a diamond ring designed by French jewelry maker Jean Dousset in 2008. But despite rumors that the couple were due to get hitched the following year, the sound of wedding bells only rang out in 2015. And it appears as though Adams' hectic career may have been to blame for the lengthy wait.
Speaking to Allure in 2009, the "Big Eyes" star admitted, "I've been really busy, and I feel like a horrible fiancée that I haven't gotten swept up in the whole idea of a wedding. But I just haven't." So how did her groom-to-be feel about the delay? Adams added, "He wants to be married. He's sort of, you know, 'This is going to happen, right?' He understands I'm busy but he's ready." Despite revealing that she was "putting more pressure" on herself to commit in a 2011 chat with InStyle, Adams still kept Le Gallo on ready mode for a further four years.
They got married at a private ceremony
As you'd expect from a couple who'd largely kept their relationship out of the spotlight, Amy Adams and Darren Le Gallo decided to make their long-awaited wedding a strictly press-free affair. As E! reported at the time, "a small number of their nearest and dearest" were invited to the "hush-hush" Los Angeles ceremony in 2015.
Although few details about the nuptials have emerged since, Adams did hint to Allure in 2013 about what the exclusive guest list should expect: "We both have a very specific idea of what we want to do with this (wedding ceremony) in spring or fall, like in those months, but every time I'm busy working. I want something very family-orientated and laid-back."
We do know, however, that the "Catch Me If You Can" star tied the knot in a dress designed by Marchesa. Later on that year, Adams explained its inspiration to People magazine: "My deal with it is I wanted something I would never wear on the red carpet. I wanted it to be so feminine. I'll share a picture eventually, but I loved it so much. It was so pretty."
Amy Adams and Darren Le Gallo have a daughter
In 2010, Amy Adams and Darren Le Gallo welcomed their first, and so far only, child into the world, daughter Aviana Le Gallo (whose name apparently means "bearer of good news"). And parenthood certainly seemed to suit the couple, who at that point were still five years away from becoming husband and wife.
Speaking to InStyle (via DailyMail) a year after giving birth, the "Doubt" star revealed that becoming a mother had brought out a softer and more vulnerable side to her personality. "I can't say, 'I don't care.' I can't be tough. There's no truth to it," she shared. "I love her. I need her in my life. I can't pretend otherwise." In 2017, Adams reiterated just how much she appreciated her family in a chat with Little London: "I'm having such a beautiful time with my husband and our daughter that any project I choose has to be one that I truly feel compelled to do."
And it seems as though Adams has nothing but admiration for how her significant other has taken to being a father. In a 2018 interview with Marie Claire, the Oscar nominee gushed, "It's sexy to see him raising a girl and teaching her how a man should treat her in a lovely way."
Amy Adams says Darren Le Gallo 'has sacrificed a lot'
Amy Adams has racked up nearly two dozen film credits since she and Darren Le Gallo welcomed their daughter into the world in 2010. And the "American Hustle" actor's husband has been a steadfast source of support.
In a 2016 interview with The Guardian, the Italian-born star said, "He has sacrificed a lot. But he travels with me and helps to keep the family together, and I really do appreciate that. But I don't value it because he's a man doing it, I value it because he's my partner ... My husband is an extremely competent caregiver."
Indeed, although she was keen to sing Le Gallo's praises, Adams admits she finds it hard to understand why others have a problem with their relationship roles. She added, "We have a friend who said to him, 'I couldn't do what you do, I really couldn't.' What, show up for your wife? That's really sad ... I find it so odd when men feel their masculinity is being threatened, I'm like, 'Really? It shouldn't be that delicate.'"
Darren Le Gallo and Amy Adams aren't competitive
Amy Adams and Darren Le Gallo may once have been on an even keel when it came to their acting careers. But while the former's went stratospheric in the wake of her first Academy Award nomination, the latter's stalled. Luckily, Le Gallo, who's now shifted his focus to painting and music, doesn't appear to be jealous of his wife's screen success.
While discussing her then-boyfriend in a 2008 interview with Vanity Fair, the "Julie and Julia" star shared, "He's not competitive with me. He has a wonderful talent, and there aren't many people in the world who are like that, where he does not think that my success is his failure. He just doesn't see it like that, and I don't either. If anything, he's probably a little more protective ... He's very protective of other people's ownership of me."
The six-time Oscar nominee then recalled a specific occasion when Le Gallo displayed his protective streak, during a sight-seeing outing in New York. "He said, 'Amy, we're not going to Times Square,'" she remembered. "It wasn't 'Wow, you're going to be mobbed. It was more like 'It's going to force me to be on the lookout,' which is very nice."
Amy Adams related to her character in Nocturnal Animals
We can only imagine the awkwardness when Darren Le Gallo sat through "Nocturnal Animals" for the first time. Even Amy Adams herself admits that the tense relationship between her art gallery owner character Susan Morrow and Jake Gyllenhaal's novelist Edward Sheffield sometimes echoed her marriage.
Thankfully, the multiple Oscar nominee did warn her other half that some scenes may ring familiar beforehand, as she revealed to The Guardian in 2016. "My husband is very optimistic and I consider myself a lot more cynical and pragmatic," she shared. "I told him, 'Some of these arguments with Jake feel very real to me, and I'm going to be curious about how you feel about those.'"
So how exactly did Le Gallo react once he'd seen Tom Ford's psychological neo-noir? Well, Adams told The Guardian that he apparently acknowledged that they also felt very real to him. In the film, Susan chastises Edward for his lack of ambition, the kind of tough love which Adams has sometimes displayed too. She added, "I'm very honest and straightforward, and so I've looked at my husband's artwork and been like, 'You could do better than that.'"
They're not too fussed about their appearances
Amy Adams and Darren Le Gallo may always look super stylish whenever they hit the red carpet together. But at home, things are a little bit more casual. The former, therefore, had no problems with embracing a much dowdier look when she filmed Ron Howard's adaptation of "Hillbilly Elegy."
In 2020, Adams told People, "I gave up my vanity a long time ago. Literally a day and a half ago, my husband did a drawing of me because I was such a hot mess in striped pajama pants, weird t-shirt and Crocs. He was like, 'Wow, we've gone deep.' Not to say that I don't have my moments and it's nice to get dressed up but I've really worked, especially with having a daughter, to not focus on appearance as much as maybe I ought to in my personal life."
Adams was also able to draw inspiration from her husband when it came to her character Bev's unkempt locks. While congratulating his wife for picking up a Screen Actors Guild nod on Instagram, a messy-haired Le Gallo posted a selfie of the pair taken while "Hillbilly Elegy" was in production. He jokingly captioned the pic, "I was recognized as the hair muse."
Amy Adams and Darren Le Gallo are as lovestruck as ever
Amy Adams and Darren Le Gallo initially kept their relationship out of the limelight. But since getting married, the pair haven't been able to stop gushing about each other, particularly on their respective social media accounts.
Take the time in 2020 that Adams took to Instagram to celebrate her fifth wedding anniversary, for example. Alongside a black and white photo taken on the big day, the "Sharp Objects" star wrote, "You are my soft place. Love you. Love our family. #happytobestuckwithyou." Le Gallo then returned the favor on his own Insta account, captioning a picture of the bride: "It's been five years today that I've been blessed to be married to my best friend ... It's crazy how fast time goes by — almost 18 years since we started dating. I respect, and adore the incredible human being that you are."
And the lovestruck couple aren't afraid of public displays of affection, either. Indeed, it seems pretty much every time they grace the red carpet, they're either smooching or planting kisses on each other. After all these years together, you can only admire how they appear to have kept the spark alive.