I have a few words for you. You. Go. Girl.
Finally, an actress who looks like a normal woman of a certain age. I'm really trying to avoid being snarky and judg-ey over here and the restraint is making my head hurt a little, but let me just say there are some folks out in Hollywood who have crossed over the thin line from, "let me have a little nip here and tuck there" to "I'll have the full Joker-face, please." I'm not without sympathy - I cannot imagine the pressure to stay looking young and vibrant. Must be a soul-heavy burden they carry right up there on their faces. Then there's Kelly. Self-awareness out the wazoo. Candid and vulnerable. And real. It's a breath of fresh air, I tell you.
She's down the road in Asheville, just minding her own business - raising her kids, staying sober, out of the limelight - when along comes the much-anticipated movie sequel, Top Gun 2. Maverick and Iceman are reprising their roles, but Charlie won't be along for this thrill-ride, it seems. She wasn't asked. And she's pretty philosophical about it: "I’m old and I’m fat and I look age-appropriate for what my age is, and that is not what that whole scene is about,” the 62-year-old told [Entertainment Tonight]. “But...I’d much rather feel absolutely secure in my skin and who and what I am at my age as opposed to placing a value on all that other stuff. To me, my relationships to other people became far more important than my relationship to fame." Not your typical statement out of Hollywood, right? Of course, many of the comments on social media about her are hateful. She let herself go, being the most often repeated. Maybe she could be Tom Cruise's grandma in the new movie, is another. She has some sort of illness, the kinder ones note. But she doesn't appear to be losing any sleep over it. She's congratulated the new leading lady and seems to be quite content with her life in the North Carolina mountains.
Now I don't know much about Kelly McGillis other than what I read online and we know how true that is. She's surely had a few personal struggles along the way - some public and many more private I imagine. But who hasn't? I hope she's happy, I hope she has joy, I hope she knows the love of her Maker. And not a one of those things come from having a skinny (or fat) body, an un-lined face or a trouble-free life. More likely, they come from patience and perspective. From self-care and God-blessings. From daily-grace and morning-mercy. Age is but a milestone (with cake!) and wrinkles map the journey. Thank you, Kelly, for the reminder. And, for the record, I think you are lovely. Just as you are.
Still and all, I'd like to see a little cameo in the new movie. Maybe she's a barista or bartender this time and she looks ole Maverick in the not-so-young-anymore-either-face and says, "You're not going to be happy unless you're going Mach 2 with your hair on fire." He looks closely at her, eyes scrunched up like question marks. She winks. He grins. Scene.
I should have been a writer. Oh, wait.... Selah.
Comments