Susan Sarandon Explains Why She Never Dropped Her Last Name After Separating from Chris Sarandon

Susan and Chris were married from 1967 to 1979; the former couple do not share any children together

is addressing why she never changed her last name, even though her marriage to ex-husband ended over 40 years ago.

“He was a very kind man and he kept me alive, you know, so I’m happy to have that name,” Susan, 78, told about keeping the Sarandon surname while she spoke with the outlet about her new movie The Gutter in an article published on Sunday, Nov. 10.

The -winning actress was married to actor Chris, now 82, from 1967 to 1979. While Susan never married again, she has , including , 39, whom she shares with Italian director Franco Amurri, as well as John “Jack” Henry, 35, and Miles Robbins, 32, whom she shares with ex .

While Susan expressed no problems with keeping the Sarandon surname, the actress did tell the outlet she regrets never changing her first name. “, Tuesday Weld and all started out Susans and they had the sense to change that name and I’m stuck with Susan,” she said. “It’s kind of nice to do a rechristening as you start to realize who you are.”

Related:

Susan, whose maiden name is Tomalin, and Chris remain friendly decades after their romantic relationship ended. She even appeared on a September 2023 episode of his podcast , where the former couple reminisced on their marriage and Sarandon revealed that her brother Phillip Tomalin Jr. “hooked up with one of the bridesmaids” at their 1967 wedding.

Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

“When I met Chris, I thought and correctly so, that he knew everything because he took me to black and white movies and introduced me to literature and basically saved my life actually with his kindness,” Susan said during that podcast episode. The former couple met as college students in the mid-’60s at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.

“And so really, I credit you with my foundation and my survival. One of the reasons I’m here is just to publicly say that,” Susan additionally told Chris at that time.

Related:

While Chris and Susan share no children, the star also has three children from other relationships, including two daughters and one son with ex-wife Lisa Ann Cooper; he also has a stepson through his wife Joanna Gleason, whom he has been married to since 1994.

Susan’s new movie The Gutter is in theaters and available on demand now.