We’re no strangers to relationship age gaps in Hollywood. Newlyweds David Foster and Katharine McPhee are 34 years apart (to the hilarious fake chagrin of his daughters Erin and Sara), Leonardo DiCaprio has yet to date a woman over 25 years old even though he’s now well into his 40s and what about the enigma that is Sarah Paulson and Holland Taylor?
Nevertheless, when a young woman marries an older gentleman, people talk! They wonder if it’s true love, if there are gifts and money involved, if it’ll last. The newest talks of the town are Dennis Quaid and Laura Savoie, so let’s learn more about these two.
Background
Actor Dennis Quaid -- 65 years old, 6 feet tall, boyish grin -- pulled the cliche “drop out of college and move to Hollywood” schtick in the ‘70s, found success in the ‘80s and then stole America’s hearts as Nick Parker in the 1996 version of “The Parent Trap.” He’s the quintessential dad character, with his teddy bear persona and superb facial acting. He’ll next appear as a father whose daughter brings her new boyfriend home for the holidays in Netflix’s “Merry Happy Whatever,” dropping Nov. 28, and has been cast as former president Ronald Reagan in an upcoming biopic.
Meanwhile, Laura Savoie -- 26 years old, tall, blonde, beautiful -- is a St. Louis native who’s currently studying for her accounting Ph.D at the University of Texas at Austin and is set to graduate in 2021. That’s...all I’ve got.
Quaid has been married thrice, with three children to show for it. His first marriage, to scream queen P.J. Soles (“Carrie,” “Halloween”), lasted five years; he then married rom-com leading lady Meg Ryan in 1991.
The high-profile relationship began while filming a noir crime thriller and resulted in one son, Jack Quaid, 27, he himself an actor who can be seen in “The Hunger Games” franchise and is currently starring in Prime Video’s “The Boys.” Quaid and Ryan have been open about their marital struggles: Quaid has discussed his drug addictions and vulnerability during this marriage at length, and Ryan’s affair with actor Russell Crowe, as well as allegations against Quaid’s infidelity, have come to light. Quaid has also admitted that his insecurity around Ryan’s level of fame also contributed to the marriage turning sour. They divorced after a decade together.
Quaid’s third marriage to Kimberly Buffington spanned from 2004 through 2018, but those last six years were messy. They welcomed twins Thomas and Zoe three years in, but the two filed and withdrew papers enough times to make your head spin, the point of contention usually being the custody of their children.
The first record we have of Quaid and Savoie dating was from this past May, when the two were seen out on a dinner date. It’s unclear when the two met, since we all thought Quaid was still dating actress Santa Auzina, who he was with for a couple of years following his divorce from Buffington, but sources told PEOPLE he and Savoie had been together for a few months by then. Seems that the two were being fairly coy.
What happened?
Coy no more -- there are wedding bells in the air! On Monday, Quaid revealed to Extra that he and Savoie are engaged.
While doing promo for his upcoming movie “Midday” in Honolulu, Quaid said he’d had the idea to propose in place, but the moment was serendipitous.
“It happened on the very northernmost point of Oahu, at Turtle Bay. It was kind of spontaneous. It was very much a surprise,” he shared. “I had the ring in my pocket...It has been kind of a month-and-a-half plan. I wanted it to be private.”
Savoie, for her part, apparently had no idea it was coming.
“She was actually taking a selfie of us, and I put the ring in front and said, 'Will you marry me?' and then she fell down,” Quaid said.
And who wouldn't?! From what we can tell from most reports, the two were dating less than a year when Quaid popped the question.
So, a man in his 60s is engaged to a woman in her 20s. Already a set-up for lots of talk, actress Elaine Hendrix made it even better with a single tweet. You’ll remember Hendrix as Meredith Blake from “The Parent Trap,” who almost got married to Quaid’s character (who, since Lindsay Lohan played 11-year-olds, you could imagine was around his early 40s) at age -- oh, yes -- 26.
It’s even funnier because...Quaid has twins. And Savoie is blonde. And Hendrix’s Twitter photo is even a shot of her in character as Blake. It’s all too good.
What do we think about it?
Love is love is love, and no one really has a right to judge anyone else’s relationship. Normally, my one criticism would be that mayyybe Quaid isn’t the marriage type, having been divorced three times, but he at least has the advantage of time on his side: All of his marriages lasted a while, which shows commitment, if nothing else.
If we’re going to talk about the relationship, I’d rather the talk be more about whether a 26-year-old woman should be settling down with a man she’s known for less than a year than trying to analyze whether or not she’s a gold-digger. Which, c’mon -- she’s going for her Ph.D. in accounting. This woman is not going to need money.
What does everyone else think?
...They think the age difference is weird. I can’t blame them, and Hendrix truly stirred the pot here, though I'm pleasantly surprised that there aren't as many woman-shaming comments as I thought!
Need a drink?
We’re drinking the “Old Money.”
- 1 part young, hot blonde
- 1 part seasoned, aging actor
- A dash of true love
- Garnish with diamond rings, fancy cars and funny tweets.