Ben Mendelsohn's wife was Emma Forrest, and before their divorce, they welcomed one child. The couple had been married for less than five years, and by the time she was done with her directorial debut, which also starred her ex-husband, their marriage was over.
Ben Mendelsohn is best known for portraying villainous characters in Hollywood and has even collaborated with his ex-wife, Emma Forrest. But things did not end well for the two. According to her, they were once deeply in love, and at some point, they longer connected emotionally.
Even though they tried to salvage the relationship sometimes, things no longer worked out. Unlike her former husband, she works behind the scenes in the entertainment industry and has openly discussed their failed marriage.
Emma Forrest and Ben Mendelsohn at the BAFTA Tea Party on January 9, 2016, in Los Angeles, California. | Source: Getty Images
Ben Mendelsohn's Rocky Marriage with His Ex-wife Emma Forrest
When Ben Mendelsohn crossed paths with Emma Forrest, she had watched his 2010 crime movie, "Animal Kingdom," which also starred Guy Pearce. Meanwhile, he had read her book, "Your Voice In My Head."
In July 2019, she revealed, "We had a strong idea of each other before we fell in love." Forrest and Mendelsohn shared a passion for music, which became more intense once they started a relationship.
While she was obsessed with English singer George Michaels, he repeatedly played "Wild For The Night" by A$AP Rocky featuring Skrillex from his laptop speakers. However, he once blasted the song high when she tried to breastfeed their infant child. Forrest snapped by spitting toward the laptop, and his reaction left her baffled.
Emma Forrest and Ben Mendelsohn at the 5th Annual Critics' Choice Television Awards on May 31, 2015, in Beverly Hills, California. | Source: Getty Images
"Oh my God. I love you! I love you so much!" Ben shouted. She was unsure what he loved and wondered if it was her aim, focus, or anger. "I don't think he knew why he loved me, just that we had a primal connection," she recalled.
Following that encounter, it dawned on Forrest that she and Mendelsohn had been hanging by a thread for years. When they met, she had written a script for the 2018 drama film, "Untogether," which also starred Jaime Dornan, Billy Crystal, Lola Kirke, and Jennifer Grey.
Forrest explained that she had written the role of Martin for Mendelsohn — the leading man in Australia since beginning an acting career as a teen — in the movie to show off his sincere and jolly side.
Emma Forrest and Ben Mendelsohn at the premiere of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" on December 14, 2015 in Hollywood, California. | Source: Getty Images
The film was Forrest's directorial debut, and she expressed the urgency of filming it before things took a turn for the worst. She further explained:
"As financing finally fell into place, partly as a result of Ben's participation, I realized I'd have to direct my husband as we were pulling apart."
One evening, the couple had a tense argument about parenting, and she knew that was the end of their relationship. Still, the pair found themselves in each other's arms, crying together and being happy that they did not split.
That did not stop them from having another fight, and this time, she and their child went to a friend's beach cottage for two weeks. The longest she had been away from her then-husband, who later moved out of the family home to a guesthouse in Los Angeles.
Emma Forrest and Ben Mendelsohn at the 2016 Vanity Fair Oscar Party on February 28, 2016, in Beverly Hills, California. | Source: Getty Images
Emma Forrest Filed for Divorce from Ben Mendelsohn
Mendelsohn and Forrest walked down the aisle at Chateau Marmont on June 3, 2012, in Los Angeles. They welcomed their only child together a year later, daughter Carolina Mendelsohn in 2013.
Following more than four and a half years of marriage, Forrest filed for divorce from Mendelsohn. She asked for physical custody of their then-three-year-old child with visitation rights for the movie star, joint legal custody, and spousal support.
The mother of one revealed she and Mendelsohn, who starred in the Netflix thriller series "Bloodline" with Kyle Chandler and Sissy Spacek, officially split on December 1, 2016, due to irreconcilable differences.
Emma Forrest and Ben Mendelsohn at the 2016 Film Independent Spirit Awards on February 27, 2016, in Santa Monica, California. | Source: Getty Images
Several years after the divorce, Forrest penned a memoir titled "Busy Being Free," released in 2022. In the book, she discussed her decision to be celibate for the duration of Trump's presidency, which occurred when her marriage to Mendelsohn broke down.
In one part of the book, she detailed her difficulty getting along with her ex-husband. Moreover, in another aspect, she revealed he gifted her something for Christmas, and the gift was so random it felt like he was saying he had no idea what they were to each other anymore.
Forrest and Mendelsohn had lived together in Los Angeles, and after parting ways, she and their daughter moved to London. In December 2019, the doting mom divulged her child once dressed her up for Kylie Minogue's concert, taking inspiration from RuPaul.
Forrest, who rarely shares photos of her daughter on her Instagram, explained that her daughter believed she would reunite with her father once her mother changed her look, but she eventually gave up the idea.
A Glimpse into Emma Forrest's Career
Forrest was born in London, England, on December 26, 1976. Apart from being a mom, she is a writer and a director. In addition to her work on "Untogether," she also worked on "The Boss of It All."
The talented British native is also a journalist and started her writing career at age 13 when she penned a story on popstar Madonna for the London Evening Standard. Subsequently, she had a column at a national newspaper and became a full-time writer.
She left high school because of her "Generation X" column for the Sunday Times. In addition, she has worked for several well-known publications, including Vogue, Vanity Fair, The Guardian, and Harper's Bazaar, where she interviewed Hollywood stars such as actor Brad Pitt and rapper Snoop Dogg.
Ben Mendelsohn's past Relationships – He Also Has an Adult Child
Apart from his former wife, Mendelsohn previously dated other stars, including actress and former Australian former model Kate Fischer. They briefly dated after meeting on the set of the 1993 movie, "Sirens."
The Australian native was also romantically involved with actress Justine Clarke and said this about their relationship once, "We were munchkins then, but we went overseas together, and it was lovely. I think she broke my heart." Clarke is also a writer and a producer best known for the films "Look Both Ways" (2005) and the television series "Tangle" (2009) and is an Australian native.
Besides dating people in the show business industry, Mendelsohn is also a father to his eldest child, Sophia-Wright Mendelsohn, whom he welcomed in September 1990. She followed in his acting footsteps and is known for appearing in television shows such as "Wizards!" (2018) and "Year Of" (2023).
In a June 2023 interview, the actress said she was aware that people might consider her a "nepo baby" because she has famous parents. However, Wright-Mendelsohn revealed she only adopted her father's last name at the end of 2022 to avoid hiding a part of her identity.
But after bagging two roles with only the last name Wright, she realized she could add her dad's last name. The TV star divulged her dad is immensely "proud" of her for forging her own path in showbiz, although he initially wanted her to "study economics." She explained, "It really is so far from what he'd [want], he just wants me to live a life where I know what I’m going to be doing tomorrow."
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