“When your sense of time has an ending and isn’t finite, like how it feels when you’re young,” she noted in a recent interview, “you have an understanding that time is precious.” She explained that this perspective creates a natural filter for the trivialities of fame: “You have a tendency not to waste energy on the small stuff and only to surround yourself with people who are vital, curious, brave, and adventurous.”

The Sarandon Routine: Laughter, Sunblock, and a Glam Squad

When pressed on her secrets for maintaining her celebrated vitality, Sarandon’s advice is refreshingly devoid of Hollywood mysticism. She maintains that aging gracefully is largely a byproduct of a healthy lifestyle: “Probably laugh a lot, and get the normal amount of exercise, and eat well and stay out of the sun would be the main things.”

However, in a characteristically candid move, she refused to credit only nature for her red-carpet radiance. She openly acknowledged the professional machinery behind the icon, noting that having an elite makeup and hair team is a non-negotiable part of the equation for looking one’s best in the public eye.

In an industry that often tries to dim the lights on women past a certain age, Susan Sarandon remains a neon sign of defiance—reminding us all that “appropriateness” is entirely in the eye of the beholder.