A little more than two years ago, the New York papers reported that Diane Kruger was getting frisky with Norman Reedus. It was December 2015, and Diane had only recently moved to New York with her boyfriend of a decade, Joshua Jackson. In retrospect… yeah, of course Diane was cheating on Joshua with Norman Reedus. It wasn’t until July 2016 that Joshua and Diane announced their split, and it wasn’t until December 2016 that Diane and Norman started being seen out and about together as a couple. The whole thing left a bad taste in my mouth, but I have to admit, I sort of hate-admire how “no apologies” Diane was about it. She never explained, never complained, never apologized. And Joshua moved on, so it’s not like we need to cry for Poor Joshua.
Anyway, Diane’s new German film, In the Fade, is getting a ton of buzz. She won the Best Actress gong at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, and some believe she might be a dark horse candidate for a Best Actress nomination. The film is one of the big contenders for Best Foreign Film too. To promote the movie, Diane chatted with Vulture (in a piece published about a week ago, sorry, I missed it) about how everything in her life sort of fell apart in the span of a year, and what really happened with Joshua (and how all of that happened at the same time). You can read the piece here. Some highlights:
What fell apart in her life: In the space of eight months, she lost her grandmother and her stepfather, plus ended her ten-year relationship with Joshua Jackson, all while going into deep immersion in the toughest role of her career — as a woman whose Turkish husband and son are killed in a neo-Nazi terrorist attack in the German-language thriller In the Fade.
Why she works in so many French films: “I just felt that in France, I was never typecast. But in the U.S., they just wanted to hire me for big franchises where you’re ‘the female lead,’ but you’re really servicing the male story line.”
Why she wasn’t popular (as an actress) in her German homeland: “I felt for a long time that they felt I had abandoned or given up my Germanness. Also, I changed my name, which was originally Heidkrüger, so even though I’m really well known in Germany, I’ve always felt they were a little upset with me.”
What happened with the Joshua Jackson breakup: Kruger isn’t specific about when she and Jackson called it off, but indicates that it was almost simultaneous with her grandmother’s death, and on Kruger’s behest. “That was something that was a long time coming. Also we broke up many months before we said we were broken up, so by the time I made that decision, it didn’t feel like it was so urgent anymore. You don’t break up overnight after ten years, you know what I mean?” She describes the experience as sad and inevitable rather than angry or anxiety-inducing. (“It wasn’t like an urgent, ‘Oh my god, I can’t sleep at night’ thing.”)
Dealing with the breakup as she worked: “Actually, it felt liberating because I didn’t have to worry about that anymore, so I could immerse myself 100 percent into something else. I felt like I did nothing else but that. Nobody came to visit me, I didn’t have to worry about anything else but this.” Didn’t she miss the support system, though? “I didn’t want one. It’s a distraction.”
Norman Reedus has been her rock. “Coming out of it was a long process that mostly involved my family because we were healing and grieving the loss of my stepdad together. And I was lucky to have my friends and my partner there to just be present and walk that walk with me to the light.”
Whenever I look at Norman Reedus, I always think “this will end in tears.” Like, anything and anyone he’s involved with will end in tears. I don’t think he’ll ever be any woman’s soulmate or true partner, but whatever. Maybe he was just the excuse she needed to exit the relationship with Joshua. It’s all really kind of f–ked up, right? She openly cheated on Joshua with Norman, orchestrated the split, then a year and a half later, talks about how liberating the whole experience felt at the time. Oh well… she never pretended to be a contender for German Sweetheart of the Year. Maybe it’s more interesting this way.
Photos courtesy of WENN, Backgrid.
No excuses, no apologies–good for her, we need more of this.
This isn’t helping her cold demeanour.
But why does she need to be warm?
Nowhere did I said she had to be, but if this was a man talking well basically admitting to cheating on his girlfriend of 10 years we’d all be up in arms for his unapologetic response.
I always thought they had an open relationship.
Most actresses do consciously at least attempt to present themselves as likable to a broad spectrum of people. The idea being that one’s career is aided by the positive feelings one arouses in potential audiences. Maybe that’s true, maybe it isn’t.
Apparently Diane Kruger behaved badly to Joshua Jackson; this is very human, but not nice. Lots of people, particularly Americans with our streak of Puritanism, will think “What a bitch!” This may not be good for her business, but unless she’s really trying to get a sideline Instagram business going, I really doubt anyone’s going to care very much.
“Why does she need to be warm”? You’re kidding right? I dunno, basic human decency that a functioning society decrees. (Stands for Both MEN and women). Because typically not smiling, being cold (as she is Almost exclusively depicted), is usually a sign of something underlying. Perhaps depression? Repressed anger? And Because in short, it’s not really normal. I WOULD NEVER deal with her (if I could help it). Same goes for an angry, inexpressive man. It’s just common courtesy folks. If you can’t muster common courtesy, I suspect their are underlying Mental Health issues. So I ain’t dealing with ya. (Unless you’re a friend or family and need help). I understand this misguided notion that a “woman doesn’t need to smile to please a man”, but that’s not what I’m talking about. Everyone is allowed a bad day, but this is like a bad life. But yeh, I’m talking Beyond gender roles. So Please be civil to me. Or I surreptitiously, won’t hire you, befriend you, date you or otherwise. It’s the minimum you can do here on planet Earth. otherwise move out of civilized society. You can’t be a cold bitch and expect life to coddle you. It just doesn’t work in functioning relationships like that. Sorry for today’s dose of “he’s just not that into me” real ness. Sorry If you’ve been indulged all your life and feel you are “beyond civility and warm interpersonal dialogue”. Sounds spoilt, egocentric, selfish and at its worst, Sociopathic to me. You’re going to have to deal with ‘growing up’ at some point.
@Nico: don’t count out the culture aspect. This isn’t to excuse any of the relationship shenanigans, it’s to be careful calling people out as “cold”. I lived 10+ years overseas (3 continents) and have family out there and the one thing I heard consistently is how odd people found the American habit of smiling all the time and being overly friendly with strangers.
A couple of German friends said it was unnerving–like the person doing it was a little unhinged. My Finnish family is the same way–they’ll smile if they’re happy, but otherwise they don’t understand why people keep asking if they’re sad/mad–especially because most of the time they say, “No, I’m just thinking.”
Many people I know also find the American “fast friends” thing off-putting, and they also don’t expect to make great friends at work. And at the same time, more than once I’ve had a Northern European or Chinese colleague get badmouthed as being “cold” or “unfriendly” (when they’re just keeping business business). I wouldn’t be surprised at all if a lot of that’s what’s at play with Kruger with these “sources”.
It was rumored to not be open, but they understood the other might cheat. Keep it low key.
She was always the 1 not being discrete.
Her fashion is interesting. Her acting… is ok. She gets the best fitting roles imo because she’s established in the right circles. I tho k she pigeon holes herself in drama and war period films.
Something about her… Just meh. She has great press people.
MGM
Regarding your foreign family and friends finding American friendly behavior odd.
I’ve had the exact opposite reactions. Friends that visited from Uganda found American smiles false. That our smiles “didn’t reach the eyes” and overall friendly quality was fake. That no one really cared about each other. There its a much more family centered community.
With friends in Aachen and others in ansbach, Germany. That there was limited friendly behavior noted. That we walked without eye contact. Avoid at all costs. Having traveled there as well and elsewhere my take away was always as Americans we were very cold and insincere in comparison to other parts of the world. People dont show concern or ask how you are as a social norm. It’s case by case to the person and region.
I went to the US with Work&Travel when I was a student. I worked for 3 months in a small village 1 hour away from NY, 20 miles from Philly.
I’m easteuropean and my impression was that americans are fake and very superficial.
Sorry, this is how I felt.
I especially hated the Hi! How you doing? salute.
Why are you asking me how I’m doing if you don’t care about my answer??
I found that really off putting. Why wasn’t Hi! enough?
Maybe it’s a cultural thing. Diane seems cold to you, as americans seem fake to europeans.
Monette
I’m naturalized citizen of the USA when I was 14. And totally agree. I’ve never been able to get use to how 2 people in passing will say hi, how are you, and keep walking. There’s no genuine care. And no slowing your walking pace to hear an answer. God forbid you answers and ask how they are. They might already be long gone.
Still, if someone I only know casually asks how I am I’m suspicious of their level of caring or inquiry. No matter what the polite response is to say you’re well and not elaborate. Just odd.
@FLORC & monette: thanks for clarifying what I was trying to say. There’s an expectation you should be smiling all the time, but definitely not that it be *real*. More than one friend said, “Why should I smile if I don’t mean it?”
Also what was always funny was asking, “How are you doing?” and not getting the insincere “Oh, fine” but how they were REALLY feeling. Eye-opening the first couple of times it happens! 😉
MGM
lol eye opening indeed! You feel a bit foolish too, but learning the social customs.
Caitlyn, I came to say the same. If this were a man being so callous about a break up, where he also cheated, people would be livid, but since it’s a woman it’s supposed to be empowering?!? Hell no. She comes off cruel and unkind. I understand the relationship may have been over for years before they actually ended it, but it still sounds like she cheated, she waited for a secure jump off before leaving. This new relationship will most certainly end in tears one way or another.
I didn’t realize it was that suffocating.
I’ll console Joshua if he needs it.
LOVE. 😂
I’ll console him even if he doesn’t need it!
I love you guys. 😂😂. Always so humorous here.
Line starts behind me ladies!
There’s something about him….he does it for me. Some other guys are better looking, but JJ just is really appealing.
Eh I’m all for women not apologising for leaving a relationship that no longer works – but cheating on your partner of 10 years and then describing the split as liberating…that’s more insensitive/entitled than girl power.
Yep. She is cold, that one. That’s ok I never warmed up to her acting anyway.
I prefer cold over fake. And i like Diane. She isn’t pretending to be superstar, she isn’t apologizing or jumping the wagon. She’s promoting a movie. Good for her.
Really. Better she said nothing because she doesn’t come off well with those remarks.
She strikes me as someone that is trying to convince herself first and foremost.
Yes, it seems like she’s trying to rationalize away the sh^tty way she handled things.
No woman needs to apologize for ending a relationship. But I’m not applauding cheating on someone you were with for 10 years. It makes you an a-hole.
And from the looks of the rumblings around her and Norman…he’s not faithful to her either. So karma
Yep, exactly.
Isn’t Norman the biggest sweetheart around? Why wouldn’t he be her support?
He seems like such a softie, maybe write if this article(didn’t check) only knows him from pictures, not interviewes?
Yeah, free to Chase Norman Reedus around. I’m sure THAT will last.
I had a complete breakdown when my grandmother died. I changed many things in my life too. I understand what she is saying.
I did the same thing when I lost my grandfather. It changed so many things in my life. It’s been ten years now, I still grieve.
Team Pacey! Joshua Jackson is hot. Norman Redus is too but in that “better get checked for various Heps after” sort of way. I always think it’s strange to bounce from a 10 year relationship straight into another but who knows what kind of set up they have.
Pacey <3 Yes!!
Not sure why everyone’s quick to call her a cheater. I know someone who worked on The Affair. Josh wasn’t very discreet about being with other women. Either they had an open relationship or neither was faithful.
I think it seems like they had some sort of open relationship. Diane did it as well. It looks like Diane had an affair with Norman and it probably broke up their relationship.
I used to run in a circle that very slightly overlapped theirs, and from what I saw and heard they definitely had an arrangement. I don’t think it was a proper open relationship, with the honesty that goes along with that, but at the very least they both looked the other way when it came to cheating.
They also didn’t seem like they were properly together the last couple of years before the break-up, so I’m not sure Reedus actually had much to do with it. At most I think he was just one of the things that made her end something that had been all but officially over for a while.
@Renee, I read that Josh had an affair with his Fringe co-star Anna Torv.
No he didn’t. People who worked on the show confirmed that this was the case. I think it’s fanciful thinking on the part of fans of the show.
So Norman was Diane’s getaway car? Gotcha.
Pacey will be fine. I imagine he could have his pick of many women!
I agree that it won’t end well with Norman but maybe that’s OK? Maybe it’s hot and exciting and that’s all it needs to be. I’m not sure if she’s ever talked about having kids but hopefully she is happy with her decision not to pursue biological kids. She spent a some good years with JJ and I hope she has no regrets.
Eh, you never know what goes on behind closed doors. It’s so easy to speculate as an outsider.
She seems like a cold bitch. Joshua is much better off.
He’s hardly a prize.
She seems kind of insecure to move from a 10 year relationship to another situationship right away. Like if you weren’t happy in the relationship then leave no need to wait around to find another relationship you can immediately use as a landing pad.
We don’t know what goes on in people’s relationships or what the dynamic is. You can be in a relationship and feel very alone, sometimes. I’m not going to pass judgement on anyone when I don’t know the miles they’ve walked.
Her MO is not uncommon. I can think of more than a couple people I know who didn’t break off a longtime relationship they were unhappy in until they were 100% sure they had someone else in the wings. In the celeb world, it reminds me a bit of the Meg Ryan/Dennis Quaid/Russell Crowe triangle. And that did not end well.
It has nothing to do with insecurity. You have no idea what her relationship with JJ was like. It could have a been a mess for many years and she hung on. NR came along and maybe it was that instant chemistry type of thing. People leave other people when they fall in love with someone. It happens all the time. And there’s NOTHING wrong with that.
But if her relationship with JJ was a mess, like you suggest, that goes exactly to my point. Just have enough respect for YOURSELF to not continue on in something that isn’t meeting your needs. You don’t need to line up an understudy to make good decisions for yourself.
Also… she did the same thing when she got into her relationship with Joshua Jackson (she was divorcing Guillaume Canet). And now she is saying that her relationship with with him did not meet her needs. How does that not seem insecure? She literally would rather keep doing the same thing, that doesn’t work for her, over and over again then be alone.
How does saying a relationship does not meet your needs mean you’re insecure?
Everyone has certain needs in a relationship. Sometimes those needs change but you’re willing to overlook them because you’re comfortable especially in a longterm relationship. Sounds like she finally got tired of doing that. Doesn’t mean she was insecure she was just doing what was easiest at the time.
They really make a bizarre-looking couple. There is just so much contrast between the two of them. She looks germ-free and hermetically sealed, he looks like he needs to scratch himself.
tsk tsk. The actor who portrays Eugene on WD was taking questions on The Talking Dead, right after the show. Someone like you asked if Norman Reedus ever showered. He seemed a bit put off and then laughed and said Norman was so clean you could eat off of him (which I would) and smelled fantastic. The man is portraying a survivor of doomsday….geez….what do you expect a crew cut and clean shave….lol!!! PS….since Chandler Rigg’s character has supposedly been killed off, he has been posting pics of himself, sans the long locks, of course, he is 19 and Norman mid-40’s.
But he’s not Daryl at red carpets too and he still looks greasy and nasty.
I like how she says she doesn’t want a support system because it’s distracting but she leaned on NR from the darkness to the light….ummm…………….is it just me??
I thought the same thing! That made no sense to me.
I think she meant being in a relationship is a distraction when she’s on a movie set, not in general.
Narcissist
I don’t know, you guys. Joshua did publicly congratulate her when she won at Cannes, and they were already over by then, and had been for quite a while. That tells me that they didn’t end in the worst of terms.
Well, I’ve been nice to and spoke nice about (in public) exes that I kind of hated. High road and all.
I’m happy to see some of the posts are positive on Norman Reedus. I love Daryl, excuse me, Norman. He actually seems like a fun man to be around. If you read his story, he has been through a lot, and lives life to the fullest, having come precariously close to losing it. He didn’t always have the Daryl look going on, he was a model and has a grown son with Helena Christianson. So Diane, even though I haven’t a clue who you are, you are a lucky bish.
Ooof…His body language in this picture. He looks like he’s ready to bail out. I can understand her feeling liberated after being in a relationship that probably should’ve ended a lot longer. Some of us have been there.
As for the cheating part? Cheating blows, who knows what their situation was at that point really? Like, maybe they were in the process of separation?
Would you admire her actions if it was a man who did this to a woman?
But why does she speak up now, just because she has a movie around, she is using her former partner after two years? And frankly for someone who wants to project a strong women’s image she doesn’t really succeed, for those who have been following her, her Instagram or JJ, the only one who seemed liberated and relieved was JJ.
Only THEY know what happened between them. Good for her. It’s nobodys business .
She is the one talking about it. Two years after. With the press, nonetheless
I completely agree. I like her more for not PR-managing her private life like some stars. She seems genuine and mature. Break-ups are messy and hard to understand, but that doesn’t mean either party is a bad person. It’s nice to see that fact reflected in print.
It sounds to me like the relationship couldn’t be sustained and the break up was a long time coming, and was possibly ended when she got with Norman? If the relationship was a stressful aspect of her life, I can understand the feeling of liberation. Sometimes people work hard to save something that really needs to end.
On a superficial note, JJ is still cute, and I do not find NR attractive AT ALL.
They weren’t married and they didn’t have kids. Not sure why she felt so trapped that she suddenly had this huge “liberation.” Kind of unfair to him, particularly with the cheating. By all accounts (including her own), he was a good partner to her.
If the report are true, that both were unfaithful–it sounds like the relationship was doomed and someone needed to cut the cord.
I can understand being in a relationship for 10 years then cutting the cord and finally living for yourself and not someone else can be liberating. I left a relationship after only 6 years but I truly felt I had to sacrifice too much of my life that I did feel trapped and unbalanced, so I left and never looked back.
The fact that it didn’t cause her any heartbreak to walk away means she probably did the right thing for both of them.
I think that they probably had an open relationship, but her feelings for Norman kind of made her realize “what am i still doing in this relationship with Joshua that I feel so drained?” Her language she is using remind me so much of Kelsey Grammer’s. Many on this site, including myself, ripped him a part for saying to Oprah that the relationship with his wife had long since ended, and he was entitled to move on… except he never told his wife that. He just left her for another woman. I hope that Joshua was clued in on Diane’s feelings, and don’t you dare preach to me “if he didn’t know that she was so unhappy he clearly wasn’t paying enough attention.” because that’s an excuse for a selfish person to use when they don’t want to take ownership of their actions.
Germans weren’t upset with her because she wasn’t German enough anymore, they were annoyed because she was so damn pretentious about it. Her interviews about her life in France and how she feels more French than German were insufferable because she came across as extremely stuck up. And now that she has to promote a movie in Germany she suddenly wants to be German again. The reason nobody in Germany hired her is because her dialogue delivery in German was awful. She didn’t know how to use the language effectively. She was the weakest link in Inglorious Basterds. I haven’t seen her new movie, maybe she has improved now.
Yeah. To be honest, she’s always talked so much about her life in France in interviews that I didn’t even know she had a German identity (I thought she was born in France and always lived there). I don’t recall her ever mentioning anything about Germany or her German roots. So it seemed weird to me that she’s talking about how German she is in this interview!
I don’t know about the “this will end in tears” part. I mean, he’s only ever had two serious relationships before Diane (I don’t count the fooling around with his 22-year-old cat sitter, which was yes, gross) and both were long-lasting. Тhe first one gave him a son and he’s a great and super-involved Dad and his relationship with the mother of his child (Helena Christensen, who is in my opinion one of the most beautiful women ever born) is wonderful – they constantly hang out together and consider each other family. Actually, he and Diane recently spent some time visiting Helena – I happened upon an Instagram post on Helena’s profile where Diane thanked her for the great time they had in her wonderful house or something. But back to Norman, to me he always seemed like a stand-up guy who doesn’t shy away from responsibility. And whatever kind of other strangeness there is about him (he is an odd bird, you need only to look at his photography to tell that), he is sweet and committed with the people he loves. So I wish him and Diane lots of happiness – my gut feeling tells me they are in it for the long haul.
This is really hard judgement. She said that after all she went thru she finally felt free to concentrate on work, concentrate on this very special Movie . Maybe I would have felt the same relief, ending a relationship that doesn‘t feel right anymore can be very relieving, that doesn‘t mean u disrespect your partner. She is a strong women
I agree. When you leave a relationship and it feels so liberating, or feel so right —then it probably was for the best to cut the cord for all involved.
Joshua probably doesn’t want to be with someone who doesn’t want to be with him and she clearly decided she no longer wanted to be with him. The reports of unfaithfulness on both sides boded very poorly for their relationship surviving the test of time. Sounds like she wanted out and it was a long time coming.
As my mother always said, most people don’t leave unless they have somewhere to go. And Norman was her somewhere to go.
B.S.! You shouldn’t need a jump-off to leave a relationship if it was so suffocating to say you now feel liberated to be out of it.
This and that “my p*ssy* died” comments from Olivia Wilde make me cringe.
If it was so bad, why didn’t you leave?
And yes, I realize it can be and probably is a lot complicated after a long relationship with someone to just pack up and leave, but I wish people would stop throwing their exes under the bus when they are the ones who cheated. I don’t care if you are a man or woman, it’s just lame.
There’s a respectful way of saying your previous relationship didn’t work out, without making your ex sound like the devil when it doesn’t seem like to be the case for Joshua Jackson. If some really bad dirt comes out on him, I might be inclined to change my mind about him, but by all accounts he seemed to have been a good boyfriend. Good enough to bang for 10 years anyway.
Overanalyzing much?
leverything else aside, don’t tell me it isn’t at least tacky to talk about a past relationship you ended 2 years after the break-up in such a public and detailed fashion, while your ex remained silent on all of that and while YOU were the one spotted in a romantic situation while you were still publicly with sour ex.
yes, JJ may have cheated also, but she wasn’t discreet, not him.
Honestly, all of this is just…..no class. no class people, no manners. And don’t tell me it’s German thing or something, bc Germans are polite people and would never publicly say this, except maybe to the small circle of closest friends.
I do not know anything about “when she cheated” on her ex boyfriend or if she cheated at all. I don’t know the timeline of her personal life nor does anyone else. I admire her as an actress and I was especially delighted that she won best actress at Cannes last Spring. I wish her well in her personal life which is none of my business.
To be fair a lot of actors will claim they want privacy and in the same breath give loads of details about their private life.
Many, many, many celebs manage to have successful careers, private relationships, and great interviews without crossing lines.
This is being discussed because she’s inviting the discussion.
FLORC exactly. She didn’t need to make any comment.
Her style in the Pacey era was flawless. Now that she is with Norman she has lost her mojo.
She broke my heart when she left Pacey. Norman does nothing for me. I think he looks like a hobo.
She is still very beautiful and has killer proportions. Especially her legs, they are divine.
I already read somewhere that Norman and Diane are engaged! Norman apparently proposed back over the summer of 2017 and she’s already moved in with him months ago!
The National Enquirer isn’t a great source.
It would be fine if she really were no-apologies, but she’s not. She wants sympathy. She’s giving interviews talking about how “incredibly disappointed” she is in Joshua, as if he should be the one apologizing. That’s the problem. She’d like to cast the blame on him and play the victim herself, when she is anything but. That’s what is hateful about her. If she’d really just walked away and lived her own life, that would be another story.