Aaron Taylor-Johnson's wife Sam admits attention over their 23-year age gap is 'uncomfortable'

Sam Taylor-Johnson has opened about the attention her and Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s marriage receives.

The Back to Black director met the actor when she was 42 and he was 18 on the set of Nowhere Boy in 2009. Sam was directing the film while Aaron played the lead.

They welcomed their first daughter, Wylda, together in 2010 and then their second, Romy, in 2012 - the same year they tied the knot.

Their marriage has gained a lot of attention over the years due to their 23-year age gap and the fact that Sam has two children from a previous marriage, one of whom is just seven years younger than Aaron.

This has seen particular spotlight in recent months due to the release of Back to Black and reports that Aaron is set to become the next James Bond.

According to the director though, all the discussion can become a bit much.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, she said: “There are times where it’s uncomfortable [regarding the attention the couple gets].

“Most of the time we zone it out and stay pretty private. We tend to retreat. Kids and school runs keep you pretty grounded.”

Aaron has also commented on the criticism recently in an interview with Rolling Stone.

He said: “What you gotta realise… is that what most people were doing in their twenties, I was doing when I was 13.

The couple got married in 2012. (Dave Benett/Getty Images)

“You’re doing something too quickly for someone else? I don’t understand that. What speed are you supposed to enjoy life at? It’s bizarre to me.”

Earlier this month, Sam also told The Guardian: “Aaron and I are a bit of an anomaly, but it’s that thing: after 14 years you just think, surely by now it doesn’t matter?”

The director’s latest film, Back to Black, follows the highs and lows of the life of Amy Winehouse.

Actor Marisa Abela stars as Amy, while Skins star Jack O'Connell plays Blake, and Eddie Marsan takes on the role of Mitch Winehouse, Amy's father.

Sam Taylor-Johnson directed the new Amy Winehouse biopic. (Studio Canal)

It has already received mixed reviews - despite only hitting cinemas today (12 April) - with a 53 percent critics score on Rotten Tomatoes.

However, The Guardian gave the movie four stars, saying: “Back to Black is essentially a gentle, forgiving film and there are other, tougher, bleaker ways to put Winehouse’s life on screen - but Abela conveys her tenderness, and perhaps most poignantly of all her youth, so tellingly at odds with that tough image and eerily mature voice.”

In an interview with LADbible, Jack agreed that there may be harsher ways to portray the story than the final product Sam produced.

He said: “I think it's fair to say there's probably a darker version of this story. So, I'm quite proud of how we detail that and managed to be respectful to the privacy there.”