10 Celebrities Who Aren’t Afraid of Getting Older

Women in Hollywood are constantly under pressure to maintain their good looks and youthful faces. But no matter what they do, they will still fall under different categories as they age. For example, even the most talented female actress will rarely play the role of a femme fatale after the age of 40, but will instead start being given mother roles. And while that is definitely not a bad thing, it shows us just how Hollywood treats women after they are not considered young anymore.

1. Dolly Parton

The legendary singer recently turned 76 and while some people might rush to call her old, she says that she feels the exact opposite. “I don’t feel old. In my mind, I remember my life was in a great spot when I was 35 years old, and I remember at that time thinking, ‘This is a great time in my life.’ So I chose to just kind of think like I’m 35 all the time in my mind. No matter what the numbers say. Numbers lie.”

“I wish I could be young forever, so I could do more things, but every year it seems like I do more things. I’m comfortable in my own skin, no matter how far I’ve stretched it. I just try to look as good as I can, and I just try to be comfortable. And you know, just be myself.”

2. Jennifer Aniston

Being one of the most emblematic figures in TV history hasn’t made Jennifer Aniston obsessed with chasing youth. Talking about women who choose to let their hair go gray, she said, “If you want to go gray, go for it! If you want to keep coloring your hair, that’s great too. I think everyone should feel confident in whatever choices they make, including embracing natural color or texture.”

“I don’t feel any different. Things aren’t shutting down in any way. I feel physically incredible. So it’s weird that it’s all of a sudden getting telegraphed in a way that’s like, ’You look amazing for your age.’ I think we need to establish some etiquette around that dialogue and verbiage.”

3. Cameron Diaz

The beloved actress’s idea of aging changed a lot after becoming a mother in her 40s. “I’m excited. I’ve got 50 or 60 years to go—I want to live to be 110, since I’ve got a young child. I think you have this amazing moment in your 40s where you appreciate who your parents are, and I want to have that moment with her—be there with her in her 40s.”

And she tries to break free from all the pressure to stay youthful since “Literally, the last thing I think about on a daily basis is what I look like. I’m looking forward to all the aspects of growth to come in my 50s. I’m working on building my muscle mass, so I’ll have it as my hormones change. I’m lucky to be my age, lucky to have those girlfriends, lucky to have my daughter, lucky to have all the support I do raising her.”

4. Bebe Rexha

In 2019, the singer shared with her followers on Twitter something that a music executive had once told her. “He said that I am getting too old, and my brand was ’confusing.’ I’m a songwriter and I post revealing pictures on Instagram and that’s not what songwriters are supposed to do, especially for my age. I am 29.” She is now 33, and she says that she won’t run away from her age.

“I’m not gonna lie about my age or sing songs that I feel will sell better because they sound ’younger.’ I’m gonna celebrate my age, because you know what? I’m wiser and I’m stronger.”

5. Kate Winslet

“We become more woman, more powerful. We grow into ourselves more, we have the opportunity to speak our mind and not be afraid of what people think of us, not care what we look like quite so much.” This is how the actress feels about getting older and not listening to all the negativity about aging women.

When it comes to the roles she chooses, she says, “I care passionately about highlighting issues that need to be talked about that perhaps people find hard to talk about. And I am not shying away from truly looking like a hot mess a lot of the time. I mean, who puts on makeup while they’re doing the school run? I don’t.”

6. Helen Mirren

The celebrated actress was once asked about how it feels to age gracefully in Hollywood. She replied, “It’s much better to age disgracefully. You die young, or you get older. There is nothing in between! You may as well enjoy it. My mother once said, ’Never worry about getting older.’”

She also says that while imagining that being 20 years older feels scary, when you actually get to that age, you don’t want to be 20 years younger. “With every age comes advantages and disadvantages. And you tend to find that you don’t want to go back. You want to be exactly where you are with everything you’ve experienced.”

7. Antonio Banderas

For Banderas, who had always been portrayed as the most handsome man on the screen, aging seems to be a concept he is now in good terms with. “After my heart attack, the things that I considered really important came up to the surface immediately, and everything that I thought was important was not.” After turning 60, he started realizing that the roles he wanted should be more meaningful and not based on his good looks.

“Sometimes the characters that are offered to you are determined by your look. And I had a very athletic youth and so romantic heroes — they all came to me. But after a point, you say, ’No, I want something a little bit deeper than this that I can just dig.’”

8. Jane Seymour

At the age of 72, the actress wants to make it clear that she doesn’t plan on having any procedures done on her body and face. “I have not done facelifts or all of those things and fillers just because, honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever worked as much as I have right now. And I am being able to be authentic, and I think being as authentic as you can be as an actress is really important. You need a face that moves.”

She wants to point out that she does not pretend that she is not her age, but that she is just trying to be the healthiest version of herself. “My mother always used to say the hardest thing in the world is just to accept. So you know, right now, I’m of an age where so many friends and family and people are struggling with illnesses and all kinds of crises in their lives, and every day we’re here is a miracle, and every moment that you can share the love that you feel for someone, or the difference that you can make for them, makes you happier—so that’s my mantra.”

9. Heidi Klum

As one of the most successful models our planet has ever seen, Heidi Klum says that she does think about aging. “My nose would grow like Pinocchio’s if I said that I didn’t feel some pressure about aging. I’m not trying to hold on to the past or searching for a fountain of youth. We are all going to age, so I’m trying to embrace that, but not without a bit of a fight.”

She doesn’t plan on stopping modeling any time soon, but others might make her feel that she is too old for it. “When I turned 40, people said, ’So, when are you going to stop modeling? You’re already 40 and getting old.’ Forty isn’t old, I turn 50 next year, and I still have lots to do.”

10. Julia Roberts

“I went to a dermatologist recently for a skin check, and he looked at the side of my face and says, ’Oh, do you want me to fill your smile lines in?’” This is the story Julia Roberts shared with the world to show how much she doesn’t care about these types of procedures. And her answer to the doctor was, “Fill them in? You know how many good stories are in there? How many good laughs? How many great dinner parties? Fill them in?”

Talking about her husband, she said, “When he’s looking at me, I feel immense joy. He’s not looking at me and thinking she’s getting old. He’s looking at me like, ’I’ve been with this person for 20-plus years. This is my person, and this is what they look like.’”