Why Celebs Romance Their Agents, And Why It Works

When Reese Witherspoon tied the knot over the weekend, we imagine she let out a huge sigh of relief -- after a failed marriage and very public divorce from Ryan Phillippe and a tumultuous two-year relationship with Jake Gyllenhaal, Reese has finally found her perfect match with Hollywood agent Jim Toth. Surrounded by other celebrities and their agent beaus, like Alyssa Milano and her CAA agent husband David Bugliari, Witherspoon felt at ease as she said, "I do."

The Oscar winner is just another in a long line of actresses who have found love with an agent -- stars like Britney Spears and Hilary Swank also call Hollywood agents their boyfriends. But in an industry where it seems taboo to not date someone who also doesn't grace the pages of the tabloids, it begs the question: What's the appeal of being romantically involved with an agent?
Agents Understand the Demands of Hollywood
Witherspoon said it best when describing what she loves most about Toth. "It's very comfortable to be with somebody who understands my career, but doesn't do what I do," she told Glamour.

Celebrities have hectic schedules -- they'll work 16-hour days while filming a movie for three months and then have a few months off to relax and take meetings (with their agents!) for the next project. Throw in time spent to promote a film and it becomes a crazy roller coaster of busy. When two actors date, it only heightens the pressure of trying to balance having a "normal" romance on top of work. Agents are part of the glue of the entertainment industry, so they're the first ones to understand the demands without actually being entertainers. Agents are able to help celebrities maintain that sense of normalcy that they desperately crave.

Reese Witherspoon Ties the Knot
Agents Don't Want to be Famous
Being "famous" is disposable nowadays. The term celebrity is not just dedicated to movie stars anymore -- it now includes everyday people who rake in millions for letting cameras follow them while they get drunk and fist pump. Stardom is more intangible than ever.

Simply put, if an agent wanted to be famous, they could be -- they have all the connections to put themselves out there. It's their choice to stay behind the scenes and reap all the benefits without making themselves a public figure. Spears and her agent-boyfriend Jason Trawick are a perfect example. Spears is unquestionably one of the most followed stars in LA, and Trawick has been there through all her ups and down -- he was her agent for years until they started dating in mid-2009. Trawick knew exactly what he was getting into when they got together romantically, and instead of using Spears for publicity like many others in her past, he has actually been a calming force in her life and taught her that every day doesn't have to be a paparazzi chase. "We're really normal," Spears recently told Ryan Seacrest. "We like to just watch movies. We work out a lot. We love to work out. We do stuff together like that. We take walks."

They Can Really Have Your Best Interests in Mind
At the end of the day, agents are business-people. Hollywood is not that big of a town, so chances are even if they're not your personal agent -- Toth does not represent Witherspoon, for example -- they know your agent or someone who is part of your team and will help guide you in making smart business decisions -- especially because essentially, it affects them too! (Imagine if Mariah Carey was dating her agent when she decided to do 'Glitter'...)

They Know How to Separate Fact from Hollywood
Before Witherspoon became officially engaged to Toth, engagement rumors plagued their relationship. Reese joked to Entertainment Weekly, "My mom always texts me, like, 'Are you getting married?' I'm like, 'Mom, come on! You would know if I was getting married.'"

It's so easy to get caught up in the chatter -- especially since the minute you go public with your relationship, everyone wants to know when you'll be walking down the aisle. And for many actresses like Spears and Swank, a relationship with their agent is their first serious relationship since getting divorced, which doesn't make avoiding the "when are you getting married?" questions from the press any easier. Swank says the constant questioning can be a bit much, but luckily, her beau just brushes it off and doesn't let it affect their relationship. "I believe in the sanctity of marriage," Swank told InStyle magazine. "John and I, you know, we were both in long marriages and it's not something that we need to rush back into."

More: Five Ways a Normal Person Can Bag a Celebrity

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