Embracing

You turn 96 later this year. Is there anything that scares you now?

I think the only thing that scares me now is what’s happening or going to happen to my body. And at my age, I probably wouldn’t even have said that five years ago. But as you get older, I think it’s something you have to deal with and think about.

How do you deal with those moments when you get scared then?

I go to Pilates once a week. Kelly and I both do. I always stretch in the morning when I first get up, and that helps. And I’ve been using a cane just for security. That helps, too. I’m not ignoring it, but it’s something I think about.

I’m proud of you for doing that and for saying that.

I have so many doctors now, it’s crazy. And they’re lovely. They’ve just been great. They all look at me like, June you’re nuts, but that’s okay.

Why do they look at you like you’re nuts?

Because I go in and I say, “I’m working again. I have another job.” And they’re like, “You’re doing what?” Also, I used to get up in the middle of the night to feed my two cats. One left us a few weeks ago, but I still have one, and I would get up in the middle of the night anywhere from 2:30 to 4:30 a.m. and feed them. And my heart doctor said, “You what?” And I said, “I get up in the middle of the night and feed my cats.” He says, “You can’t do that.” I said, “Well, I have to. They get hungry.” He was just appalled at the fact that I was getting up in the middle of the night and feeding two cats. I would get up half asleep and feed them and think nothing about it. My doctor raised hell when he found out I did that. But the one cat that’s not with us anymore was a biter. My arms are so scarred from being bitten. That’s what he’d do when he was hungry. If I had an arm out, he would find it. But to me it was like, yeah, I have to do this. They’re hungry.

Well, I kind of agree with your doc about waking up in the middle of the night to feed the cats, but I do think it’s great you’re still working and taking on new projects. It keeps you young.

Oh, it does. Yes. And I meet people. My friends are wonderful because they know I’m going to be gone for a bit working, but I’ll be back. It’s great. I love it.

By the way, you have the most beautiful skin. What do you attribute that to?

Very little. I have had no work done. It would scare me. I don’t know how women do it. Men too. I mean, I don’t know how they do it, getting cut into. I couldn’t do it. I just use soap and water on my face. I go to a facial place once a week to get a facial. Or I try to at least. I think my genes are good, also, but it’s soap and water.

That’s amazing. Meanwhile, what role would you like to take on next?

I want to do an assassin movie where I’m the assassin. It’s kind of like when I did an appearance on American Horror Story. I said, “I have to do this. It’s a vampire. I’ve never been a vampire.” And it turns out it was a leprechaun. It wasn’t a vampire, but they drank blood. Well, beet juice. But it was important to me; I could not let this go.

So after Eleanor the Great, what’s the next role for you? Before you play an assassin, of course.

Lost & Found in Cleveland, which is going to open November 6. Stacy Keach and I play husband and wife. Martin Sheen is in it and Dennis Haysbert and Jon Lovitz. It’s an antiques road show, but they do it like it’s happening in Cleveland. It’s a wonderful thing.

Eleanor the Great is in theaters on Friday, September 26. For more Icons Only features, with legends like Reba McEntire, Andie MacDowell, Jean Smart, and more, click here.