Russell Brand’s former girlfriend Jordan Martin says he wanted a famous wife before he married Katy Perry. In the new documentary Russell Brand: Open Secret, she connects something he told her during their relationship with the celebrity marriage that followed.
Martin dated Brand in 2007, when he was filming Forgetting Sarah Marshall in Hawaii. The comedy, released the following year, cast him as rock musician Aldous Snow and helped introduce him to Hollywood audiences.
Brand and Perry married in India in October 2010. Their relationship ended after approximately 14 months, with the divorce finalized in July 2012.
Directed by Olivia Isaacs, the documentary premiered on Netflix on November 13. It brings together former partners, colleagues and journalists to examine his career and the experiences of people who knew him.
Jordan Martin Recalls Brand’s Remark About Fame
“I should be dating somebody more famous than you,” Martin recalls Brand telling her, according to Entertainment Weekly. She describes his behavior during the Hawaii trip as controlling.
Martin says Brand had asked her to join him because he wanted someone to discourage him from pursuing other people on set. Once there, she claims he criticized her clothing and objected to her sunbathing.
Martin had previously written about their relationship in her 2014 memoir, kNot: Entanglement with a Celebrity. The documentary also includes her allegations of abuse. The filmmakers say the women sharing allegations in the documentary were not complainants in Brand’s criminal trial.
Perry Described the End of Their Marriage
Brand filed for divorce on December 30, 2011, citing irreconcilable differences, ABC News reported at the time. In his public statement announcing the split, he said he would always care for Perry and expected them to remain friends.
Speaking to Vogue in June 2013, Perry recalled receiving his decision by text on December 31, 2011. She said he struggled with her authority while she was touring, describing his behavior as “very controlling.”
Perry acknowledged spending substantial time away for work and said she repeatedly invited him to join her. She initially blamed herself for the breakup, then reconsidered after learning something she chose to keep private.
Filming Began Before Criminal Charges
Isaacs said the team worked on the project for three years and began filming before police brought charges. From the outset, she said, they understood that publication would have to wait until the trial ended to avoid prejudicing the proceedings.
The director credited the women who spoke publicly in 2023 and the investigation by The Times, The Sunday Times and Channel 4’s Dispatches. Journalists Rosamund Urwin and Charlotte Wace appear in the film, explaining the reporting that helped bring the accusations to public attention.
Other contributors include former partners Amanda Alguero Alejos and Georgina Baillie, comedian Nish Kumar and former housemate Mark Pinheiro. Isaacs said the team interviewed people with a range of experiences, combining their accounts with archival material to examine the entertainment culture surrounding Brand. The finished film runs 84 minutes.
Brand Was Sentenced Earlier This Month
On November 5, a jury at Southwark Crown Court convicted Brand of four offenses involving four women, committed between 2004 and 2009. He was acquitted of three other charges.
Mr Justice Bennathan imposed a prison sentence of 10 years and six months on November 9. In remarks published by the Courts and Tribunals Judiciary, he said he had disregarded allegations in the documentary and those relating to charges that resulted in acquittals.
The documentary’s producers said they invited Brand to respond to its claims through his lawyers and received no reply.
