Renee Zellweger on life over 50: ‘Women are exquisite after a particular age’

Renee Zellweger is rocking being over 50 and she wants everyone to know just how fabulous it is to have hit the magical milestone.

It might have been more than 20 years since Renee Zellweger was catapulted to stardom in the movie ‘Jerry Maguire’ but she wouldn’t turn back the hands of time even if she could. The actor says she’s never felt more secure in her own skin as she does over 50 thanks to the self-confidence that comes with age and a healthy attitude towards inside out beauty.

‘I feel like a kid’

The Oscar-winning star plays a femme fatale in her new Netflix show ‘What/If’ and the timing for the role couldn’t have been better.

She celebrated her 50th birthday in April and she says it ushered in a whole new level of personal freedom that she had never known was possible.

“I feel like a kid,” Renee says of being 50. “It’s a clean slate. You get to a point where you recognise what you value and live by it with a greater degree of ease. You forget the societal pressures that you never even realised were influencing your decision making.”

‘You come into your own later in life’

Renee also feels that the way a woman’s looks evolve as they age is something that should be celebrated.

“I don’t believe that our appeal as women disappears. It just evolves, if only people were willing to recognise it.

She continues: “At 21, you have an attractiveness that’s obvious. You only really come into your own a bit further along in your life. I think women are exquisite after a particular age.”

‘Why do we value beauty over contribution?’

And she’s not just talking about the way a woman looks, in fact she wishes less was focused on that and more on what else a mature woman can bring to the table. 

“I’ve never seen the maturation of a woman as a negative thing,” she insists “I’ve never seen a woman stepping into her more powerful self as a negative. But this conversation perpetuates the problem. Why are we talking about how women look? Why do we value beauty over contribution? We don’t seem to value beauty over contribution for men. It’s simply not a conversation.”

‘The gym is my common denominator’

That’s not to say Renee doesn’t look after herself though and being a gym regular ensures she stays healthy from the inside out. 

“Wherever I move, or wherever I’m stationed, or whatever phase of life I’m in, the gym is my common denominator,” she says about keeping her fitness regime consistent.

“I move to LA? I find my gym. I get to Santa Fe? I find my gym. In New York? Found my gym.”

So what would her message be to any woman wary of creeping up to their 50th birthday?

“Good luck to every girl until you get to 50, that’s all I have to say!” she says. “I’ll be thinking about you, but just wait – what fun.”