Take it from the ultimate leading ladies themselves, getting older can also mean getting better.
In the upcoming sports comedy “80 for Brady,” legendary stars Jane Fonda, Sally Field, Lily Tomlin and Rita Moreno play best friends and devoted fangirls to Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, who are hell-bent on watching their favorite football player in the Super Bowl. The story was inspired by a gang of real-life besties from 2017. As the cast has been promoting the film, it’s been one hilarious story after another. From Fonda cracking Sally Field up over a naughty football pun to Moreno sharing flirty locker stories, it’s clear that for these ladies the fun has only just begun.
“I think as you get older, you get better at almost everything,” Fonda shared in an interview with AARP. “I love my work more than ever, and it feels more balanced now. I take things in stride more than I once did. Things are a little simpler.”
The “Grace and Frankie” actress has previously shared that even her sex life had improved over the years as she learned how to better understand and communicate her needs.“Women, I think, tend to get better because they lose their fear of saying what they need,” she said. “We waste way too much time not wanting to say, ‘Wait a minute, hold it, hold it, no, no, no. Slow down, and a little to the left.’ We don’t want to do that…But when we get older it’s like, ‘No, I know what I want. Give me what I want.’” she told Andy Cohen during his SiriusXM radio show, “Andy Cohen Live.”
Moreno seconded Fonda’s statement in the AARP interview, saying “I will confess that I wake up smiling.” She added that when looking in the mirror she would sometimes find herself taken aback at all the years that have gone by, but it doesn’t take away any confidence. “I’ll put on some makeup and I’m absolutely amazing,” she quipped.
It’s certainly a refreshing take. Generally speaking, American culture often views youth as the holy grail of happiness, with the false assumption that somehow joy is a limited resource that is slowly siphoned off beginning at the age of 30. In fact, it’s not only joy that supposedly fades, but beauty, health and overall value.
But as many older people will tell you, nothing could be further from the truth. You actually get more self-assured, more powerful and (perhaps most important of all) more present to actually look around and appreciate the blessings surrounding you. All in all, it doesn’t sound like a bad deal.
Thankfully, conversations like these are becoming more widespread, helping us to remember that in many ways, our best days are still ahead of us.
