Glenn Close, 78, Revels in Her Role as Grandmother — On-Screen and in Real Life

“One of the reasons we live here is because we can raise [Annie’s son] surrounded by nature,” she says. “He’ll know that property like the back of his hand, and he'll know the changing of the seasons. He'll know how things grow. He'll get respect for wildlife, he'll build his secret places and it will sustain him through life, as my childhood did, my early childhood running around the Connecticut countryside.”

In November, audiences will see Close do a 180 and genre-hop from quiet little film to ensemble murder mystery in the upcoming Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, set entirely in a church. Close plays Martha, a devout "servant of the church. She’s very disciplined. She’s the one who’d dust and rearrange the flowers and make sure the cloth on the altar doesn't have a crease in it.” And yet, like many of Close’s screen characters, “there’s a part of Martha that smolders underneath her black.”

Close saw Dead Man for the first time earlier this month at its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival and told a festival audience that home to her, besides Montana, is where her fellow actors are: “I’ve been an actress for over 50 years and realize that I am a true introvert, but not with my fellow actors, not with what it takes to create something either onstage or on film. That’s my heart home besides my own family. When you have all these different actors coming together, that’s heaven. That’s heaven.”

Close regaled the rapt audience with snippets about past roles, including Alex Forrest in 1987’s Fatal Attraction (“She was a tragic figure”) and her cameo in 1991’s Hook (“Steven Spielberg asked, ‘Do you want to be a pirate?’”).

But over Zoom, she wants to talk more about The Summer Book and her character’s organic beauty.

Next up: Close stars with Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott and Mila Kunis in 'Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery'

John Wilson/Netflix

There’s a scene in the film in which Grandmother takes a fully nude walk in the forest — and Glenn, 78, looks striking. Was she nervous to go au naturel on camera?

“It was my idea,” she says, matter-of-factly. “I thought that’s something she would do when no one else is around. In Finland, they’re much more used to nakedness than we are.”

Austere simplicity — she likes it.

In fact, she says with a smile, “I didn't want to put my clothes back on. It felt so good.”

About Movies for Grownups

AARP’s advocacy work includes fighting ageism in Hollywood and encouraging the entertainment industry to tap into the unique perspectives and talents that actors, writers and producers who are 50 or older bring to their work. AARP’s annual Movies for Grownups Awards, telecast on PBS, celebrates the achievements of the 50-plus community in film and television. This year’s honorees included best actress Oscar winner Demi Moore, 62 (The Substance), and best actor Oscar winner Adrien Brody, 52 (The Brutalist).