‘Shameless‘ star Emmy Rossum has opened up about a surprising chapter from her early 20s, revealing how a major movie role, a six-month shoot in Mexico, and an unexpected ultimatum led to a secret marriage.
The actress says the decision happened so quickly that she barely had time to think about what she was doing before catching a flight later that same day.
Emmy Rossum Faced An Ultimatum Before Leaving For Mexico
Two decades ago, Rossum publicly dated music executive Justin Siegel. However, when they split in 2009, people learned that the pair had actually been husband and wife. Now, the Shameless star has shared how their secret marriage began when she was only 21.
Rossum had been dating Siegel for just a few months when she landed a role in ‘Dragonball: Evolution‘. The job required her to spend six months filming in Mexico. On the day she was due to leave, Siegel raised doubts about whether their relationship could handle such a long separation.
“I don’t know if the relationship is going to survive the distance,” Rossum recounted on Call Her Daddy. “Maybe we should break up or get married.” At the time, she had already gone through two major heartbreaks and did not want to face another one, so she chose marriage without thinking too far ahead.
The Wedding Came Together In A Matter Of Hours
Rossum also remembered how her 21-year-old self viewed the possible consequences. If the marriage failed, “my 21-year-old brain thought, you know, divorce doesn’t seem that complicated,” she recalled. “It’s probably pretty straightforward.” She also had a flight that evening, which gave her little time to process the decision.
While Rossum imagined how simple a future divorce might be, Siegel quickly arranged the wedding. He printed an online marriage contract and hired “some guy on the Internet” to come over and make everything official. Rossum then searched her closet for something suitable to wear. “I found a white turtleneck that was in my closet and threw it on because I was like, ‘This is appropriate, right?’” she remembered thinking.
In case you missed it: Why Did Emmy Rossum Leave ‘Shameless’ After 9 Seasons? What Happened To Her Character Fiona?
Still, Rossum felt deep down that getting married “wasn’t right,” so she kept the marriage secret and did not tell anyone. During her six months filming ‘Dragonball: Evolution in Mexico‘, her new husband never visited her, even though, as she pointed out, “it’s not that long of a flight… people go to Mexico for the weekend.”
Life After The Marriage Led Rossum To Sam Esmail
Once Rossum returned to Los Angeles, the problems became impossible to ignore. “It became abundantly clear we weren’t a match in any way,” she told. The marriage ended, and the divorce turned out to be fairly “straightforward.” Rossum agreed to pay Siegel $57,500, TMZ reported in 2010.
Three years later, Rossum met ‘Mr. Robot‘ creator Sam Esmail after he sent her a long letter asking her to star in his romantic comedy Comet. The message immediately caught her attention. “I think I’m supposed to know this person,” she thought after reading it. “There was something that was just, like, immediately familiar or intriguing.”
Their first meeting only strengthened that impression. “I was immediately impressed by his work ethic and his vision and thought he was a really interesting person,” Rossum gushed. They remained friends for a year before their relationship turned romantic. Rossum and Esmail married in 2017 and now have two children together.
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