In the current issue of Complex magazine, sultry actress Paula Patton shares her secrets to a successful marriage. She also poses for a sexy photo shoot that is sure to make the men even more jealous of her husband, R&B singer Robin Thicke.
“Your wife should be your sex therapist,” says the ultra confident co-star of the new ‘Mission Impossible’ movie, starring Tom Cruise. She adds: “If you’re not married, your girlfriend should be your sex therapist. If she’s not, then things aren’t going so well.”
COMPLEX: The two of you have been together for half of your life. For a couple in the public eye, that’s unheard of. How does it continue to work amidst all the stress of fame?
PAULA PATTON: There’s no recipe. There’s no other way to say it—it’s true desire. We’re crazy enough that we just keep wanting to be together. We just don’t not want to be with each other. [Laughs.] It doesn’t mean that we don’t have our ups and downs. We just don’t want to be with anyone else. That’s how we keep it together: desire.
You two seem more comfortable than most celebrity couples discussing your relationship publically. His very sexy “Lost Without You” video felt like a sneak peek into your bedroom.
[Laughs.] I guess it’s because we were in love way before either of us encountered any of this celebrity stuff. We knew each other and loved each other way before any of this. There’s never been a sense of, OK, we shouldn’t talk about it to the press, because we’re in each other’s lives. I don’t know how to keep that a secret.
What brought about your newfound sense of confidence?
Being honest with yourself as you get older, and after you live life longer. I’m more comfortable with my flaws now, and with that, you start to feel more confident. When you’re trying to hide all of your flaws, and you’re embarrassed by them, it can be so uncomfortable—very, very uncomfortable. You don’t know who you’re supposed to be. I just hit a certain point when I started to think, “You know what? These are my flaws, and I’m OK with them.” I love me! I’m doing the best I can with what I have. I’m not afraid to say that anymore. I feel comfortable in my own skin now. I’m not ashamed to say it. It just feels honest to do something that sexy. I don’t have to prove myself to anybody. Even if my mom doesn’t like seeing me in such provocative ways, it’s OK, because my mom probably isn’t going to like anything that I do. [Laughs.]
So you’re cool with men drooling over these pictures?
It only matters what I feel. I know that I’m smart, and I know that I’m about more than just putting on sexy clothes. It’d be a lie for me to say that I don’t enjoy putting on sexy clothes and showing myself off, and my husband would tell you the same. [Laughs.] He’d be like, “People don’t know who you really are!” Why should I have to hide it? That’s silly.
