BY CINDY PEARLMAN | FOR THE SUN-TIMES
At age 65, Sissy Spacek is finally coming into her own. “It has been interesting exploring my sixth decade,” said the screen legend. “You kind of have to surrender yourself and say, ‘OK, this is what I am now. Let’s find out who this person is.’ ”
This person is starring in the new Netflix series, “Bloodline,” debuting March 20. Spacek plays Sally Rayburn, the matriarch of a Florida Keys family that owns a hotel. When the black-sheep son (Kyle Chandler) returns, the family including Sam Shepard must finally come to terms with long buried secrets.
“I loved that this family ran an inn,” Spacek said during an interview from her New York Hotel room. “I live on a farm and I know what it takes to keep everything going.
“I also related to the character of Sally because like me living on the farm, she is a woman who always has something to do. There are things that need to be done and she does them. I have the same life on the farm. If it needs to get done, I’m your woman to jump right in there.”
How does she remain so young looking?
“It’s all about the lighting,” she muses. “I have to gives kudos to the cinematographer. I actually say that I look like a 100-year-old woman!”
Of course, she’s kidding. Spacek did share her health secrets:
*WALK, DON’T RUN. “I was a runner for my entire life, but now I’m a walker. I have a NordicTrack. I met with an orthopedic doctor who did tell me that running doesn’t hurt your knees unless you have an accident or an injury.”
*WORK ON YOUR CORE. “I love doing Pilates,” she said. “I’m a devotee. Even if you’ve been injured, Pilates will help. It’s like physical therapy.”
*EAT SMART. “I became a vegetarian at 20 and stopped smoking, which I only did for a few years as a ridiculously stupid youth. I’ve stopped eating red meat and now I eat a lot of fish.”
*FOLLOW THE BASICS. “I live plain and stay out of the sun,” she says. “On the set of ‘Bloodline,’ everyone else was in shorts and a T-shirt. I was the only one on the beach in long pants, long sleeves and a floppy hat.”
*DE-STRESS. “Life will bungle you up,” she said with a laugh. “It’s good to find a way to get the stress out. Go out. Take a walk. Clear your head. Realize that life goes by so fast. I wish I would have known how fast when I was younger. Just breathe and relax. Try to live in the present moment and have as few regrets as possible.”
