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Christie Brinkley, 72: It’s ‘A Really Great Time to Age’
Supermodel opens up about changing attitudes on aging and returning to the big screen in ‘American Summer’
“I don’t feel the pressure to be anything other than what I am,” says supermodel and actress Christie Brinkley.
Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images
Supermodel Christie Brinkley — who appeared on more than 500 magazine covers globally, including three consecutive Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issues — had a lot riding on her good looks in the 1970s and ’80s.
Now, after a lifetime of accomplishments, including a decades-long contract with CoverGirl, Brinkley, 72, is embracing the freedom she’s earned to just be herself. “I used to feel that I needed to maintain a certain look, but now it’s not that big of a deal,” Brinkley tells AARP. “I’ll run out to the grocery store with barely anything on my face. That’s one of the best parts of aging is that you just don’t really care anymore about it!”
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Her newest project is American Summer, a coming-of-age film opening Sept. 4. It’s a comedy that follows Mikey (Steve Guttenberg, 68) and Kelly (Brinkley) as they reconnect and reminisce about a memorable summer in the 1970s. “People should take their whole family — grandma, grandpa, right down to the little kids — to see American Summer,” she says. “It’s really rare these days that you can take the whole family to a movie that is a great little film with a kind of wholesome quality that values goodness and celebrates goodness.”
Brinkley has an enviable career, but she’s most proud of being a mom to her three kids: Alexa Ray Joel (whom she shares with her second ex-husband, legendary musician Billy Joel), Jack Paris Brinkley Cook (whom she shares with her third ex-husband, real estate developer Richard Taubman), and Sailor Brinkley Cook (whom she shares with her fourth ex-husband, architect Peter Cook, who also adopted Jack). In a video call from her home in Bridgehampton, New York, Brinkley shares the best advice she ever got; reveals how yoga and gardening keep her fit; and discusses the Billy Joel songs she could play over and over.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
In American Summer, your character, Kelly, looks back at a time in her teenage self’s life. What would you tell your younger self?
I wish that there were words that I could say to younger people that could help them just enjoy. They say “Youth is wasted on the young” — I think the reason is because there’s so much striving to be and do and make an impression and all of that. And so if there were a way to say, “Just enjoy each day. It’s a gift. It’s a blank page, a blank canvas. It’s there for you to paint and use every paint, every color, enjoy splatter, finger paint, do whatever, but really don’t waste time worrying.”
Brinkley and Steve Guttenberg star in “American Summer,” a comedy about old friends reconnecting and revisiting a memorable summer in the 1970s.
Courtesy Falco Ink
Who gave you the best advice, and what was it?
My parents. My dad was a writer, and so he always said, “You write your own script,” and it really is true. The other thing he used to say to me a lot is, “Why not?” So if you’re thinking about doing something and you’re overthinking it sometimes, just do it. What’s the worst that can happen?
You’ve accomplished so much: Performing the iconic role of Roxie Hart in Chicago on Broadway, National Lampoon films, multiple guest and recurring television appearances, and three thriving kids.
Yes, and I’ve had successes, and I’ve had failures. You get back up and off you go, and you count your blessings, and you live in the moment, and you are grateful for where you are at that moment, no matter what. I feel like that’s the key: being grateful for something to be grateful for, no matter where you are.
For someone whose work life often depends on appearance, is beauty a blessing or a curse as you get older?
I used to feel that I needed to maintain a certain look in case I got paparazzied. I would make sure to fix my hair or put on a little makeup before going out. But now it’s not that big of a deal. I’ll run out to the grocery store with barely anything on my face. That’s one of the best parts of aging is that you just don't really care anymore about it! Of course, sometimes you feel like sprucing up for yourself or for projects. But I don’t feel the pressure to be anything other than what I am, and I think it’s great.
Brinkley poses with her children, Jack Brinkley Cook, Alexa Ray Joel and Sailor Brinkley Cook, in 2018 in New York City.
Myrna M. Suarez/Getty Images
How do you think attitudes toward aging for women have changed over the years?
It’s actually a really great time to age. Graceful aging means something different to everyone, and that is healthy. Graceful aging can mean aging with absolutely no hair, makeup — “I want to be like me, just me.” And others that might feel like “I want to look a certain, very kept way.”
So if that’s the great thing about getting older today, what’s the worst thing?
The worst thing about getting older is that, for me, I have been so rough and hard on my body. I have broken almost every bone in my body. It does start to add up. And yoga is my savior, because it keeps me aligned. When you get older, you’ve got to grease the joints.
Brinkley and musician Billy Joel attend a benefit in 1991 in New York City. The two were married for nine years.
Ron Galella/Getty Images
Is there anything else you do to continue to stay healthy and thrive?
I do all kinds of exercises besides yoga. I love gardening, and I can come in from gardening a sweaty mess. I’m not just clipping the flowers. I’m digging the holes. I’m carrying big, huge pots to set down into that hole. I’m raking all the leaves. Well, actually, I’ve given up raking leaves because I’m rewilding my yard. And I’m leaving the leaves there for the insect population to thrive in. I’m trying to do regenerative farming, so my gardens look a little wilder and untamed, but [I’m] loving it. Gardening is one of my favorite exercises.
How about healthy eating habits?
I’ve been a lifelong vegetarian since I was 13 or 14. And I have been a vegan on and off over the years, but now I’m just a vegan. Cheese is the hardest part, I think, of being a vegan, because they have not yet perfected a great plant-based cheese. But they’re getting close!
You were treated for skin cancer a couple of years ago, and you were very public about it. Why share it?
It’s really, really important for everyone to make a skin check a part of your annual physical checkup. I can’t stress it enough, because if I hadn’t asked that doctor, I would not have known, and that cancer could have spread and could have gotten worse. It was just by chance; I was actually accompanying my daughter to her dermatologist. If you’re an outdoorsy person like me, use your fake tanners and use your sunblock. Don’t go out without it, even in the winter.
Brinkley, Alexa Ray Joel and Joel attend an event together in 2010 in New York City.
Jemal Countess/Getty Images
The recent Billy Joel documentary, Billy Joel: And So It Goes, drew a lot of attention. How did you feel about that story — which includes you, of course — being told?
I thought that it was one of the best documentaries I’ve ever seen. The director, Susan Lacy, said, “Will you guys come [to the premiere]?” Alexa and I went, and we did both shows [in Sag Harbor, New York]. And then they had a Q&A afterward. We were laughing, crying. I lived with this guy for a decade, and there were things that I didn’t even know!
What’s the one Billy Joel song you could listen to over and over again?
I have many, actually, that I love, so it’s hard to choose just one. But I would say maybe “Where’s the Orchestra” and “Souvenir,” but I also really love “All About Soul” and “A Matter of Trust” — they’re both two of my favorites. “All About Soul” is all about me.
You made three consecutive Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue covers. How do you look back on that legacy?
I absolutely loved my days with Sports Illustrated. The photo shoots were hard work, but I loved every second of it. I am so grateful. I saw parts of the world that I probably never would have seen if it weren’t for them. They cemented my career for me. I was so lucky.
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