Robin Thicke and Paula Patton were one of the most famous celebrity couples during their time. Prior to divorcing in 2014, they had been married for over nine years and had been together for more than 21 years.
In 1991, the two first met at the Balistyx hip-hop club in Los Angeles. Thicke was 14 years old at the time, and she was 15 years old. Thicke sang “Jungle Fever” by Steve Wonder while they danced together.
They remained together after one breakup and continued dating through their time in high school and college until getting married in 2005. The couple then welcomed Julian, their son, to the world in April of 2010.
Before divorcing, the couple set the bar for success in the entertainment industry. They have previously discussed using one another as influences and sources of support. Although it may be disappointing to learn that they are no longer together, here is an exclusive interview with Prestige Hong Kong in which the two are still a couple and discuss their respective careers in the entertainment sector.
Robin Thicke and Paula Patton’s mutual influence on one another’s artistic abilities
Paula Patton has been a part of Robin Thicke’s musical career. She made her debut in the music video for the main track of Thicke’s “Love After War.” She also appears on the naked cover of his 2003 debut album, “A Beautiful World,” and became the leading lady in the music video for his “Lost Without U.”
Since the two have clearly been collaborating, it makes sense that they would have an impact on one another’s skills. Patton began her part of the answer by stating how much effect Thicke had over her.
“Robin got me ready for every single acting audition I’ve ever done. We read lines together when I’m working on movies. He’s my coach. I listen to every song he writes and help however I can, and I’ve written songs with him,” she shared.
For his part, Thicke said, “Our product – what ends up being seen and heard – Paula is way more involved in mine than I am in hers. I help a little bit, give some notes and encourage, do whatever I can. But my music… she’s the first one to hear almost every song that I write and many times before it’s even finished being written. She helps me with my art direction and my album covers and my videos, and my wardrobe, and she is really the good taste of the family [laughs]. I just keep working hard and hoping I get lucky.”
Since they both have a distinct amount of familiarity with one another, particularly in terms of their work personalities, they also have an understanding of whether the other person would be competent in doing the skill or talent that the other person possesses. And to each of them, the other could perform the other’s talents better.
Robin would definitely be the better actor. I’m not tone deaf, but I wasn’t given a gift to sing. But my husband has been given a gift in so many different ways. He could easily be a great actor. Annoying [deadpan before she laughs],” Patton said to which Thicke agreed.
“Well, I have to say that I would be a better actor than she would a singer,” he claimed. “But she would be a great entertainer and performer because she already is. She can do Marilyn Monroe songs and knock everybody off their chairs.”
The pair not only collaborates on projects together but also supports one another through the darkest times in their professional or personal lives. During those trying moments, they have been there to support and encourage one another.
“I don’t know if I would still be alive in some ways if it wasn’t for Paula. She’s been my rock, my muse, my inspiration, and I love her. The whole way,” the singer stated.
Patton also stated, “I’ve been there for his down moments, and he’s been there for mine. Life is full of peaks and valleys. Robin has always been a great person to remind me to celebrate now. Even when it looks like I’ve got a role but don’t know for sure, he’s like, ‘Let’s celebrate!’”
Parenting experiences of Robin Thicke and Paula Patton and their love for their son Julian
With the birth of their son Julian, Robin Thicke and Paula Patton’s lives had undoubtedly changed as parents. Thicke, in particular, said that Julian had “changed his life in every single way.”
“My son is my good-luck charm; he’s made me not think about myself all day long. All of a sudden, he shows up with his beautiful smile and perfect energy and makes me go, ‘Ah, forget my little problems.’ He’s an amazing child,” he asserted.
Being born into a family of actors, directors, and musicians, it seemed like their kid already had talent in those areas, and Thicke brags about how skilled his son is, saying, “He writes all his own songs and performs them and introduces himself – ‘Ladies and gentlemen, Julian Fuego Thicke!’ He even wakes up in his sleep sometimes, introduces himself like that, and falls back asleep. He’s hilarious.”
On a more serious note, Patton hopes his son grows into a good and kind person. “You can have all the success in the world. But if your child is not happy and content, none of it matters,” she commented.
“He doesn’t have to be a billionaire; he doesn’t have to be smart. But he has to be kind and compassionate to others. His heart, I’m in charge of that, so if I leave him alone and I care more about myself, then it’s my fault.”
Paula Patton plays roles in a range of film genres, and she explains how she gets ready for so many various kinds of roles
It’s challenging to go from one genre to another while playing a range of roles in movies, especially when preparing oneself. Since Paula Patton is aware of the distinctions across genres, it is reasonable to believe that she would have a favorite, but strangely, she doesn’t.
“I like to become as many different people as I can. I didn’t become an actor because I wanted to play myself,” she explained. “I really mean that. I think I’m pretty darn dull, but I think playing other people is a blast. I love the experience of all these people going into a theatre and dreaming the same dream together. I want to make people happy or sad or think and take them out of their head, their life.”
Regarding the preparations she makes in order to represent a role that has been given to her, she said: “It’s important for me to find a real person to shadow for a few weeks or however long they give me so that I can watch them work. That’s how I develop a character. And that’s the fun for me. That’s the excitement. I learn so much.”
One example of this was when she appeared in the movie 2 Guns and played the role of a DEA agent. As she previously stated, to properly develop her character, she had to find a person to spend a few weeks shadowing for her. But even though she was unable to locate a DEA agent at that time, she still looked for methods to learn more about what a DEA agent should be like.
“I wasn’t able to find an active DEA agent that did what Deb was supposed to do,” she disclosed. “It’s very difficult to find a DEA agent who is out in the field and would let you follow them. But I was able to find a retired woman named Brenda who allowed me to talk to her on the phone.”
“I learned from her that you don’t have to be aggressive with someone you’re taking down. And when they arrest a lot of the smaller dealers, they try to be kind. Because they don’t need the small-time dealer, they need the supplier. So they say, ‘I understand. Just tell me who your boss is.’ And that helped me so much to get into the mindset of Deb and not make her into what one thinks it is but what’s natural.”
“I find it slightly insulting that when women are in strong roles, people want them to act like men. I think a woman can be strong and act like a woman,” she continued.
A second occasion was when she portrayed an air hostess in the movie “Baggage Claim” fortunately, this time, she had found someone to shadow her, which also happened to be her sister-in-law.
“That was fun for me,” she mentioned. “My sister-in-law used to be a flight attendant and met her husband (my brother) when she was working in first class. She was very helpful.”
Who are Paula Patton’s idols?
Paula Patton may be an actress in her own way, but she also has an idol in the entertainment industry, just like any other performer. Even though she wasn’t aware of her childhood idols, she named this actor who later served as his mentor.
“Oh gosh, I don’t know who my idols were growing up. But Denzel [Washington] quickly became my mentor, whether he knew it or not,” she revealed. “When I worked with him on Déjà Vu, I’d only done one other film. I know he’s a man, but he’s one of the great actors of all time. He didn’t teach me by telling me anything, but just watching and listening to him. I thought to myself, ‘I wanna do everything the way you do it.’”
Robin Thicke discusses his initial song composing efforts and his musical inspirations
Robin Thicke was raised by his actor father, Alan Thicke, and actress-singer Gloria Loring, who both work in the entertainment industry. Being a member of a musical family since birth, he became passionate about singing and songwriting at the age of six.
Thicke began to exhibit an interest in music at an earlier age, saying, “The first songs that I wrote was when I was about 11 or 12 years old. I started to teach myself how to play piano. All I needed was a few chords, and I would write a whole song. And then I’d learn a few new chords, and I would write a new song for that. I think it was all just determination.”
His musical inspirations are “Michael Jackson, Prince, and Billy Idol because I loved his hair and ‘Rebel Yell.’ That was a big moment for me. I was Billy Idol for Halloween. MTV had just started when I was seven, eight years old, so the first people they played on MTV were Billy Idol, John Cougar Mellencamp – his ‘Jack and Diane’ song – Michael Jackson, and Prince. Those were my heroes early on.”
Speaking of how much he adores Billy Idol’s hair, Thicke had long locks of his own trademark hair at the time. However, he subsequently chopped it off, and when questioned about it, he said: “Actually, the question is, “Why did you grow your hair?” When I was 22 and decided to dedicate all my time to my own music, I told myself I wouldn’t cut my hair until I heard my songs on the radio. Then when I heard my song on the radio, I cut my hair.”
“With a llama on my head, I was a hippie. I was into peace and love and rock’ n’ roll and living the free life,” the singer added. “I was stick skinny and hadn’t cut my hair in two years, and just loved making music. Then my hair became such a maintenance issue that I decided that it had to be chopped.”
The reason why Robin Thicke decided to record his own songs
Robin Thicke’s parents encouraged his musical ambitions. He wasn’t even allowed to pay his father, Alan Thicke, for his assistance in writing songs for his demo tape. At the age of 16, he was already selling songs and getting them produced by other artists, and by the time he was 20, he had over two-dozen gold and platinum albums.
He already achieved success in the direction he chose at a very young age, but even though he won several accolades and worked with well-known musicians, the process of producing and writing music is still the same, and it does take time.
When questioned about if the plaudits he got influenced his decision to write, compose, and record his own music, he clarified, “First and foremost, I was always going to be an artist. I signed a record deal when I was 16 with Interscope, and I was working on my solo album.”
“And because I was in the studio, sometimes I would just write songs for other people. And then what happened was that my music changed, as a person changes a lot between 16 and 20. You grow up a lot. So the songs that I wrote when I was 16 when we were about to release the album, they just didn’t make sense anymore to where I was as a 19- or 20-year-old. So we didn’t release that album.”
“It took a couple of years. I kept writing and producing for other people, kept writing my own songs, but didn’t put all my energy into it. And then, when I was about 22, I looked up and half of the albums in the top 10 I had written and produced on. I was like, “I wanna be in the top 10 – as an artist. I wanna make my own music.” So then I devoted all my time to my own music and two years later, I put out my debut album.”
Speaking of success, Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” triumph had a profound effect on his whole career. He shared, “I’ve had three number-one songs on urban radio. I was doing well. I was doing OK.”
“But the difference is when a million people a day watch your video and two hundred million people a week hear your song. One thing it’s done is give me the finances and the power to actually set up my own charity. You can’t get that much and not give most of it back.”
How did Paula Patton and Robin Thicke use their spare moments among their extremely hectic schedules?
Since both Robin Thicke and Paula Patton worked in the world of entertainment, they both know how difficult it is to balance their schedules and find spare time. Because of this, the two tried to make the most of their free time whenever they got it.
In terms of how they spend it, according to Patton, what they do is “Talking to each other. We watch movies. Just sit and contemplate – we have a house with a bit of a view. Listening to music. Talking about what’s going on in our lives.”
“We’re best friends. We laugh a lot. But that’s our downtime. We do the things you’re supposed to do, like work out – blah, blah, blah, boring, boring. We love to travel together and travel with our child. Get out of the house. Because our house is a mad house. We don’t have normal jobs. So it’s always a workhouse. Robin makes music at home, and my job when I’m not on set always brings people into our home.”
Since they love traveling together, each of them undoubtedly has a favorite location, and Thicke has a long list of destinations that they enjoy exploring with each other.
“We love Paris because we had our most romantic endeavors there, and we fall in love again every single time. We love the Caribbean or some of the spots in Mexico, like Baja California. Whenever we can, we like to get close to some sun and some sand and some fruity drinks with alcohol in them [laughs]. But Julian gets the virgin daiquiri.”