Maxwell Caulfield was just 20 when he married 38-year-old Juliet Mills. And, an 18-year age gap that could have made their relationship far more complicated.
Now, the 66-year-old ‘Grease 2‘ star has explained why their 18-year age difference never became an issue for either of them.
Maxwell Caulfield Says Their 18-Year Age Gap Never Crossed His Mind
Caulfield recently spoke about his marriage during an appearance on Steve Kmetko’s Still Here Hollywood podcast. Looking back at the start of their relationship, he said neither he nor Mills spent time worrying about the years between them. “It didn’t occur to me, and Juliet maintains to this day it didn’t really occur to her, either,” he said.
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Mills, now 84, shared the same view and explained why their connection felt so natural from the beginning. “We didn’t think about it. We didn’t talk about it, either. It was just two people who just communicated on such a high level, in different ways. We had so much in common because we were both English, to start with; we’re both actors, and we just had a communication instantly,” she added.
Caulfield also pointed to Mills’ personality as one reason the age difference never felt important. He said his wife of 46 years “had such a youthful quality — always has, always will do. It’s presumptuous of me to even think that I was going to, you know, ‘hook up’ with her,” he explained, adding his own air quotes. “That wasn’t really where it was at. It happened so fast. It caught us both off guard, needless to say.”
Their Romance Began On The Stage Back In 1980
The couple first met while working together in a 1980 stage production of ‘The Elephant Man‘. Caulfield was 20 at the time, while Mills was 38. Their shared English background and careers as actors helped create the instant communication Mills later described, and the relationship quickly became something neither of them had expected.
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Before meeting Caulfield, Mills had already been married twice. Her first marriage was to songwriter Russell Alquist, Jr., with whom she had a son. She later married construction manager Michael Miklenda, with whom she had a daughter. Caulfield, however, had never been married before he and Mills tied the knot in 1980.
Their relationship has lasted ever since, with Caulfield continuing to speak warmly about Mills over the years. The actor, also known for ‘Dynasty‘, has regularly made it clear that his admiration for his wife remains just as strong decades after their unexpected romance began.
In June 2024, after the pair had been together for 44 years, Caulfield shared a throwback photo showing his younger, baby-faced self smiling beside Mills. He kept the caption short but deeply affectionate, writing, “My girl, forever.” Just two months later, Caulfield posted another photo, this time showing the couple in the present day.
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