Vincent Cassel Is Happy to Be Surrounded by Strong Women, and His New Marriage Hasn’t Ruined the Relationship With His Ex-Wife

Most people will know Vincent Cassel for his portrayal of anti-heroes. But in reality, the French actor couldn’t be more different from his screen persona. At 56, he is happily married, raising children, and trying to keep himself in good physical shape, not only for professional reasons but also so he can spend quality time with his 3-year-old daughter.

The actor became famous by playing charming villains.

Much of the French actor’s film work has been a source of controversy and even anger to audiences. He admits that he often chose multi-faceted and sometimes even repulsive characters, which closed many doors for him and made him an outcast. But Vincent didn’t care.

When the movie Irréversible was released, many people wrote to the actor, and some even approached Cassel on the street with complaints. Most said they hated him because his character disturbed their sleep. Vincent only politely thanked the critics —to him, that was the biggest compliment.

Cassel enjoyed showing the darker side of human nature on screen. And, by his own admission, as a young actor, he definitely preferred to play cruel and evil characters. This has changed over the years. He still occasionally gets controversial roles, but all the on-screen rage is just an act. For him, it’s just a job he has to do well. These characters have little in common with his real personality.

He and Monica Bellucci broke up but managed to maintain a good relationship.

The actor spent 18 years with his first wife, Monica Bellucci, and they were married for 14 of them. Both spouses often said that they were independent people and literally existed in different worlds. Each had their own circle of friends and interests, and neither of them sought to impose their opinions on the other. In many ways, Vincent saw this as the secret of their marital happiness. Cassel and Bellucci had two daughters — Deva and Léonie.

In 2013, the couple announced their divorce. According to the actors, it was a mutual and thought-out decision. Perhaps the reason for the breakup was Cassel’s desire to move to Brazil. The actor literally fell in love with this country and wanted to move his family there. It seemed to him that in Rio de Janeiro, everyday life is still full of poetry, which is so lacking in modern Europe.

The breakup didn’t stop the ex-spouses from staying friends. According to Bellucci, when two people have children together, they absolutely must maintain a relationship, despite any differences. Especially since Cassel is a wonderful father, but his busy work schedule doesn’t allow the girls to live with him all the time.

So, Vincent and Monica decided that the girls would stay with their mom, visiting their dad whenever possible. Bellucci is happy to have become a mother after the age of 40. This allowed her to concentrate on raising her children, choosing only one work project per year. This also meant that she was able to walk Deva and Léonie to school herself and prepare their lunches.

He didn’t think he would ever get married again.

After his marriage to Bellucci ended, Cassel was sure that from then on, he would lead a single life. He’d already been married once and had two adorable daughters, so the typical life plan was fulfilled. But after a while, the actor sensed that something was missing. A few years after his divorce, while at a resort, he met the young model Tina Kunakey.

At first, she didn’t even recognize the famous actor. Their acquaintance was not at all different from a million others — they simply happened to be in the same place at the same time, and immediately felt a mutual attraction. The crush soon developed into a romance, though Cassel was genuinely at a loss. He hadn’t expected to find new love, and he certainly didn’t think she would be so much younger than him.

Speaking about their relationship, the actor joked about a midlife crisis. Despite occasional rumors of a possible breakup, the couple tied the knot in a private ceremony in France in 2018. At the time, Cassel was 51 and Tina was 21. The actor admitted that he dreams of a new addition to the family; after all, at his age, a man only decides to get married again if he is truly in love and wants to have children. In 2019, the couple had a baby girl who they named Amazonie.

Vincent considers himself incredibly lucky to have strong women in his life.

While in his first marriage Vincent and his wife were quite independent and each lived their own life, with Tina they try not to be apart for long periods of time. The lovers have a busy schedule at work but try to travel together everywhere. And their little daughter has already been around the globe twice. When the couple has free time, they spend it at home watching films and TV series.

Cassel grew up surrounded by women, so he is happy to be the father of three daughters. He has no doubt that the girls will become strong and independent women because they always have role models to look up to — Monica Bellucci and Tina Kunakey. Therefore, when raising Deva, Léonie, and Amazonie, he doesn’t even try to be strict.

His daughters will definitely never feel weak, though they already understand that the world can be unfair to women. The girls are very good at standing up for themselves, and they easily put their father in his place if they think he’s wrong. At the same time, they know that they can ask him for help at any time.

The actor doesn’t talk too much about his personal life, but he doesn’t hesitate to admire the women dear to him on his social media pages. Despite his brutal on-screen persona, Cassel has genuine respect for the opposite sex. “I’m surrounded by women. From morning to night, because I’ve got three daughters, a wife, an ex-wife, a mother,” says Vincent. And recently, he decided to step out of his comfort zone a little, starring in a comedy. After all, he needs to have at least one film under his belt that he can safely show to his daughters.