That awkward moment. Nearly a year after their split, A-list exes Charlize Theron and Sean Penn reunited at the Cannes Film Festival in France, on Friday, May 20, to promote Penn’s directorial effort, The Last Face, in which Theron stars. They even posed together for a group photo, but didn’t stand together at all.
Instead, Theron’s costars Adèle Exarchopoulos and Javier Bardem were sandwiched in between the Oscar-winning actress and actor/director.
Theron, 40, looked stunning as always in a blush, belted, lace frock with black stilettos. The face of Dior paired her outfit with a bold swipe of rouge lipstick. Penn, 55, meanwhile, dressed casually in khakis, sneakers and a green military jacket. Also joining the group were Zubin Cooper, Jean Reno and Jared Harris.
Theron and Penn didn’t appear to interact much during the outdoor photocall, though the South African actress was photographed at one point sharing a laugh with her costar Exarchopoulos. She also sweetly smiled at cameras in numerous solo shots. Both stars also sat apart during the film’s press conference that followed.
Penn made his day in France a family affair. He later linked arms with his and Robin Wright’s 25-year-old daughter, Dylan Penn, on the red carpet. Theron reunited and posed next to Sean and Wright’s son, Hopper Penn, 22.
Theron and Penn dated for 18 months before they split in July 2015. Incidentally, the two apparently knew their relationship was over a year ago at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, as Theron revealed to WSJ Magazine last month in a frank interview.
“We were very, very new in a relationship,” Theron said. “There was an understanding that I was a single mom with a very young boy [Jackson, 4] who I had to put in a situation where he understood that Mommy dates but that he does not have a father, you know what I mean? You have to be very careful and very honest about that stuff. And Sean was great with all of that.”
A source told Us that Theron was the one to break off the relationship. “It’s just its own beast,” Theron told WSJ. “We were in a relationship and then it didn’t work anymore. And we both decided to separate. That’s it.”
