Tony Goldwyn Joins ‘Law & Order’ Following Sam Waterston’s Departure

Were you always interested in directing?

No, no, I had no desire to become a director. I became a director because I became a little frustrated with my acting career. It took me a few years to get the ball rolling, and I finally had some real success. I thought, OK, now I’ve kind of arrived. And then I realized, Oh, it’s not like that. It really depends on what your last project did at the box office and how hot you are. And I thought, Oh, my God, this lack of agency is not what I’d anticipated. I started looking for projects that I could be central to and sort of a driving force behind. At first, I thought that would just be producing movies that I would then be able to act in. But I found one in particular that I fell in love with and realized that in order to get it done the way I thought it should be done, I had to direct it myself — not really thinking I would love doing it or that I might be particularly good at it. But I discovered that I really loved it and had a knack for it. It opened up a lot of opportunities for me, and it was just a great fork in the road.

AARP Membership— $12 for your first year when you sign up for Automatic Renewal

Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine.

Join Now

What do you love to do when you’re not working?

I love to ski. I spend time with my family. My wife [production designer Jane Musky] and I travel whenever we can. I really love to hike. Something we do together is go on hiking trips. We were in Switzerland in September. I spend a lot of time with my kids. I love going to the theater, but that’s sort of an adjunct to work. I exercise every day and love to play sports. I’m athletic.

Are you doing anything differently in your 60s to stay healthy?

I’ve always been fairly conscientious about my health, but I may be more aware. Maybe those doctor’s appointments that I used to put off for years at a time, I think, “You know what, I better get that done.”

What do you do to keep your brain sharp?

I eat a Mediterranean diet mostly, but not spartan. And then yoga I find very good for [staying sharp], and meditation and breathwork. But that’s also part of what I do as an actor. That’s just very useful. So it’s usually part of your technique as an actor to do breath work — that’s really amazing for people in terms of keeping clarity. And the other huge thing for me about mental clarity is hydration — drinking a lot of water. Whenever I’m at work and I feel a little bit foggy I go, “Oh I haven’t been drinking water.”

What’s your attitude about aging?

I don’t look forward to the coming aches and pains that are inevitable, I suppose. But for me, in terms of a happiness quotient, I would say it only has gotten better as I’ve gotten older. And as the cliche goes, I wish what I know now, I knew when I was 25 years old. The older I get, honestly, the happier I get. I’ve been grateful to be in a good marriage and have a great family and a career that’s still thriving.

If you could tell that 25-year-old something, what would it be?

I would say, “Just relax and trust your life. Work your ass off and trust that life is full of surprises, and that the ups and downs of it are part of the party.”

“Law & Order,” now in its 23rd season, airs Thursday nights on NBC.

Virginia Sherwood/NBC