Patti LuPone; Kevin Kline.
Broadway legend Patti LuPone is revisiting one of the most emotionally turbulent chapters of her life: her on-again, off-again relationship with Oscar-winning actor Kevin Kline.
In an interview with The New Yorker, LuPone, 76, reflected on her first encounter with Kline, now 77, during their formative years at The Juilliard School in New York City. Despite both becoming icons of American theater, their early days were anything but harmonious.
“I took an instant dislike to him,” LuPone said. “He looked like Pinocchio to me. He had skinny legs and he was tall, and I didn’t really see the handsomeness.”
That initial impression shifted when the two found themselves sitting side by side in an art appreciation class. What followed was a seven-year romance marked by intense passion, frequent fights, and emotional pain.
“It was a painful relationship,” LuPone admitted. “I was his girlfriend when he wanted me to be his girlfriend. But if there was somebody else, he would break up with me and go out with that person. And I, for some reason, stuck it out — until I couldn’t stick it out anymore.”
Kline echoed the sentiment, describing their connection as “fraught.”
“We fought all the time,” he said. “In the company, we were known as the Strindbergs,” referencing August Strindberg, the Swedish playwright known for his tempestuous romantic life.
The pair were both part of the inaugural class of Juilliard’s drama division, which was led at the time by the legendary John Houseman. Kline joined the program during LuPone’s third year as one of three “advanced” students. Their romance intensified during their time working together, including a notable collaboration in the 1975 Broadway production The Robber Bridegroom.
Despite the emotional turmoil, LuPone once referred to Kline as her “first big love.” Speaking to PEOPLE in 2022, she reflected:
“Kevin was also a player, and it was hard. That was incredibly hard on me. He exhausted my heart.”
Both stars eventually moved on: Kline married actress Phoebe Cates in 1989, while LuPone wed Matthew Johnston a year earlier in 1988.
Today, LuPone says she and Kline have reached a place of peace.
“We’ve found a place where we can actually communicate and be friends. I think we can be friends. I don’t think we can double date, but I think Kevin and I can at least talk to each other,” she said with candor.
