Linda Hamilton on Beauty, Aging and Joy

Linda Hamilton isn’t interested in turning back the clock, and she’s remarkably candid about it. In a new conversation with AARP, the 69-year-old actress and longtime action icon spoke about why she has no plans to alter her appearance to fight aging—and it’s a reminder of how powerful it can be to define beauty on your own terms.

“I do not spend a moment trying to look younger on any level, ever,” she told the outlet. “I have just completely surrendered to the fact that this is the face that I’ve earned. And it tells me so much. And sometimes it’s stuff I don’t want to hear.” That clarity shapes how she thinks about aging as a whole, too. “I don’t chase beauty, and I don’t chase longevity particularly.”

But that doesn’t mean she lives carelessly. “I’m fully planted in the moment, but that doesn’t mean you don’t try to be healthy,” Hamilton continues. “But not all the time—sometimes it is just a jelly donut. I’m not rigid, which is a fantastic way to get older. I’ve always said that rigidifying is what kills us: the rigid thoughts and the sort of not moving. I’ve tried very hard in my life to stay as fluid as possible.”

When asked to share her best beauty advice, Hamilton’s response was as inspiring as her takes on natural aging. The guidance came from none other than her daughter, Josephine, when she was “maybe six years old.” Hamilton says: “We were visiting my parents in Maryland. And I got up from a nice little nap and my mom said, ‘Josephine and I were talking, and we were talking about beauty, and Josephine said, ‘My mom is beautiful and you want to know why?’ And my mother said, ‘Why do you think?’

And she said, ‘Because her face is filled with joy.’ So I have actually used that as my definition of beauty ever since. And I work on the joy.”