Julia Louis-Dreyfus, 62, “Can’t Wait to Be 83” and Shares One Mistake Older Women Must Avoid Doing

After winning 27 awards for her performances on Seinfeld, Veep, and other outstanding projects, as well as surviving breast cancer, Julia Louis-Dreyfus is on a mission to help older women everywhere rediscover their voices. Known as being “pro-aging,” the actress wants to show others that age is not an obstacle — it’s simply more time to do amazing things in your life.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus conquered Hollywood with comedy.

Louis-Dreyfus is one of the most iconic female comedians of her generation and hasn’t stopped making people laugh, even in her sixties. She started her career as a Saturday Night Live cast member in the ’80s alongside other comedy legends, like Eddie Murphy, Billy Crystal, Martin Short, and others. But her triumphant rise to fame began with Seinfeld, the legendary sitcom that helped her to win Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild Awards, and American Comedy Awards on multiple occasions.

Not many actors and actresses can boast of being a part of one of the most successful shows on television, and Louis-Dreyfus managed to do it at least twice — first, as we mentioned, with Seinfeld and then with Veep. The satire, starring Louis-Dreyfus at the helm, was such a huge hit that she took home Primetime Emmy Awards for 6 consecutive years from 2012 to 2017 as a Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. In total, Julia Louis-Dreyfus was a big winner 27 times in her career.

A health scare made her rethink how she viewed aging.

Louis-Dreyfus’s last Emmy for her performance on Veep served as the calm before the storm. Only a day after winning, she received news that she was diagnosed with breast cancer. The comedian revealed that her reaction was all over the place, sharing, “I did laugh, and then I became hysterical, crying, because I was terrified.” But she faced cancer like a true fighter. The actress had to undergo a double mastectomy and 6 rounds of chemo, but by 2018, she was officially cancer-free.

The entire experience gave Louis-Dreyfus a new awakening and appreciation for life. She said, “I’m just so happy to be here, you know. I think I’m enjoying things more.” Since then, the Veep star has become vocal about her pro-aging stance and has been inspiring women everywhere.

She fights against ageism in the industry.

Upon reaching her sixties, Louis-Dreyfus noticed that older women got completely different treatment in Hollywood and society as a whole. She once said, “Older women are very much made invisible in our culture. And that’s tragic.” The actress revealed that she was inspired to speak up by Jane Fonda’s documentary, Jane Fonda in Five Acts. She realized that she didn’t want to stop at her already numerous accomplishments. “I’m loving it. I want to have my health, keep doing really cool gigs, and make new friends along the way.”

In addition, Louis-Dreyfus has been very outspoken about embracing aging with open arms. She recounted meeting an 81-year-old writer, Isabel Allende, who impressed the actress with her mindset. She explained, “She just does whatever she wants. She is completely unburdened in a way that she was not when she was younger, and she went on and on.” Louis-Dreyfus recalls how inspired she was by the writer, stating, “And I said to her, ’Isabel, I can’t wait to be 83.’ I mean, for real.”

Her beauty secrets are available to everyone.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus is still very active in her career, appearing in several movies annually and even becoming a part of the MCU. So it’s only natural that she takes her health very seriously. The actress said that although filming makes it difficult to properly take care of herself, she makes sure to eat healthy snacks and stay active. She shared, “Besides hiking, I like spin classes ... I think it’s so important and anyone feels better after they do it.”

But the biggest advice she has for women her age is using makeup sparingly. “Less really is more — especially when it comes to makeup. I’ve found that a huge mistake you can easily make that ages you instantly is putting on too heavy a foundation. All it does is define the lines you have,” said the actress.

We’ll make sure to remember her words, and if you want more tips on how to navigate aging gracefully, we suggest checking out Goldie Hawn’s foolproof methods here.