Robin Wright Penn is philosophical about marriage after having hers to Oscar-winner Sean Penn nearly called off – twice.

"All marriages have their phases," Wright Penn, 43, told British magazine Psychologies for its July issue. The couple met in 1989 after Penn’s divorce from Madonna. "It’s life. We go through it, if we’re married long enough. If you’re lucky you grow and you work it out."

The Penn marriage was nearly dissolved last year but the divorce was called off. Then in April this year, Penn again filed separation papers with a court – only to rescind them.

Wright Penn said of her reconciliation with the firebrand actor, "It feels good now … If it didn’t,

I wouldn’t still be here.

"There are a lot of chapters in our book. You have to do the work in your marriage, but it has to be laid on a strong foundation of love … We have that, and shared history deepens that foundation."

The couple has two sons, Dylan, 18, and Hopper, 15.

Wright Penn is receiving accolades for her performance in The Private Lives Of Pippa Lee. She also recently appeared in the political thriller State Of Play, alongside Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck and Helen Mirren.

But she said she had suffered from low self-esteem. "I’ve always had a problem with confidence around my work … I was hard on myself for a long time. The best thing about birthdays these days is that feeling of finally being able to relax and let go," she told the magazine.