When Guy Ritchie married Madonna, they became the biggest celebrity couple of their time. Madonna was known around the world as the Queen of Pop and continued to achieve success. Ritchie was an up-and-coming film director, who was experiencing success with his early output.
However, Ritchie's career hit a roadblock when he directed the 2002 film Swept Away. The public's response was so unfavorable, it's widely considered to be one of the worst movies of all time.
When Ritchie and Madonna divorced in 2008, their respective careers continued. But did Ritchie ever experience renewed success following the embarrassment of Swept Away?
Guy Ritchie Said He Felt 'Punished' By The Public Due To The Bad Reception Of 'Swept Away'
In 1974, an Italian film titled Swept Away challenged viewers with its themes of class struggles, gender, and sexuality. Decades later, Ritchie would direct a remake of the film starring Madonna in 2002. The two were newly married at the time.
Ritchie was coming off two highly successful films at the time. The first being Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, which earned critical praise and a big box office gross. The second was Snatch, which nearly quadrupled the previous film’s gross at the box office. However, Swept Away would be universally panned by critics.
Ritchie explained his thought process by saying that he didn't want to become typecast as a director.
"My feeling was as though there’s a terrible danger to getting stuck in a particular genre as a filmmaker, so you’ve gotta be brave enough to jump out of your familiar territory," he said.
Ritchie defended the film in an interview with MTV in 2007.
"Look, it's a movie that I like. It's the movie I intended to make. From my point of view, it was a film that couldn't transcend the external factors. Maybe it would have been wiser had I identified those to begin with. We did what we wanted to do, and we were both happy with what we did."
Ten years later, Ritchie reflected on the experience in a 2017 interview with Yahoo Movies.
"The experience of Swept Away was quite a painful one, and it was a trial by fire," he said. "There were a couple of issues. One was making it with my ex-wife, and two was making it on the back of my previous films."
It turns out that Ritchie's goal of expanding his horizons backfired in a big way.
"That was the first time I jumped out of my familiar territory, and boy, did I get punished for it!"
Ritchie concluded his thoughts by saying that although he enjoyed the experience of making Swept Away, "I didn’t enjoy the experience of releasing it!"
Madonna Said She Felt 'Incarcerated' During Her Marriage To Guy Ritchie
Madonna's divorce from Ritchie was confirmed in the fall of 2008. The announcement ended months of speculation that the marriage was on the rocks.
For many years, the public speculated as to why the two got divorced. While there has never been specific explanations, both Madonna and Ritchie have left clues along the way.
Ritchie addressed the divorce in an interview with Details Magazine in 2011.
"It's definitely not something I regret," he said. "I love the kids that came out of it. But you move on, don't you… I stepped into a soap opera and I lived in it for quite a long period of my life. I'll probably be more eloquent on it 10 years from now."
In 2015, Madonna told Jonathan Ross that her marriage to Ritchie ended because of timing. That same year, she opened up to The Sun and revealed even more.
"I did sometimes find myself in a state of conflict," she said. "There were times when I wanted to express myself as an artist in ways that I don't think my ex-husband was comfortable with."
Many noticed that Madonna's image and music became much more provocative in the wake of the divorce.
"There were times I felt incarcerated," she added. "I wasn't really allowed to be myself."
Madonna said that compromise is a key factor in a relationship's success, but she needs to find a man who will accept her for who she is.
"It doesn't mean marriage is a bad thing," she said. "But if you're an artist, you've got to find someone who accepts who you are and is comfortable with that."
Guy Ritchie Has Achieved Renewed Success Following His Divorce From Madonna
In the wake of his divorce, Ritchie found success with the 2009 Sherlock Holmes film starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law.
The film was so successful, Ritchie directed the sequel, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows in 2011. The sequel was another big success and it looked like Ritchie's career was back on track.
In 2015, Ritchie directed The Man From U.N.C.L.E. starring Henry Cavill and Armie Hammer. The film received mixed reception from critics. In 2017, King Arthur: Legend of the Sword was released to mixed reception and a poor box office performance. The film was directed by Ritchie with the intention of making it a franchise. However, all sequels were canceled.
Ritchie directed the live-action remake of Disney's Aladdin, which was released in 2019. Despite receiving mixed critical reviews, the film was a box office success. The film earned more than $1 billion worldwide, making it one of the highest-grossing films in 2019, and the 34th highest-grossing film of all-time during its theatrical run.
Ritchie's directorial effort The Gentlemen was generally well received when released in 2020. His next film will be a war drama titled The Covenant. The film stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Dar Salim, Antony Starr and Emily Beecham. Ritchie is also set to direct the upcoming live-action remake of Disney's Hercules.
