Jessica Lange sat down with her granddaughters, Ilse and Adah, after they asked her to speak at their girls’ group meeting about her life. At first, Jessica wasn’t sure how to approach the topic. Then it hit her—she wanted to share something important with her grandkids’ generation. “The one thing I’ve always believed is that I’ve never allowed myself to be restricted,” Jessica says passionately. “I’ve pursued every dream, and no one could ever tell me what I couldn’t achieve.”
A Life of Reinvention
For Jessica, who just turned 70 this year, this philosophy has been a lifelong mantra. Growing up as the rebellious daughter of a traveling salesman and a teacher in Minnesota, she remembers moving around constantly. “We moved so much that I attended eight different schools,” she reminisces. “I was always the new girl in town, the outsider trying to find my place.”
Using Her Outsider Perspective to Thrive
Despite feeling like an outsider, Jessica used that perspective to her advantage. She observed people from all walks of life and learned how to embody them. Her career is a testament to her versatility—winning Oscars for her roles as a lovelorn soap-opera actress in Tootsie (1982) and a bipolar military spouse in Blue Sky (1994), and earning three Emmys for her work on American Horror Story and Grey Gardens. Up next, she'll take on the challenging role of a mom with Munchausen syndrome by proxy in Netflix’s The Politician, set to release on September 27. Produced by Ryan Murphy, who has been instrumental in Jessica's career resurgence, the role promises to be another tour de force. “I love playing characters who are on the edge,” she says. “They’re unpredictable, ready to explode or fall off the cliff at any moment.”
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Battling Depression and Finding Strength
Jessica admits that her personal struggles have shaped her art. Battling depression for years, she acknowledges, “I’ve never been the sunny type. I’m a solitary person.” But she channels those emotions into her performances. “You draw on grief, sadness, rage—all the raw emotions you carry in your own life,” she explains. It’s this depth that makes her performances so compelling and relatable.
Family as Her Greatest Joy
In her later years, Jessica has found joy in her family life, even if her on-screen persona remains intense. Having children—Ilse and Adah’s mom, Shura, 38 (with ex-boyfriend Mikhail Baryshnikov), and daughter Hannah, 33, and son Samuel, 32 (with her late longtime companion, playwright Sam Shepard)—has softened her. “Becoming a mother changed my heart,” she says warmly. “It made me a different person. I loved being a mother more than anything else in the world.”
The Joys of Grandmotherhood
But being a grandmother has taken things to another level. “It’s even more fun—you get a second chance,” she says with a smile. “Nature has a perfect order: you raise your kids, and then the next generation comes along. They’re the redemptive force in life. Plus, it’s easier!”
Embracing Age with Grace
Despite acknowledging the challenges of ageism in Hollywood, Jessica has learned to let go of anger. “You can choose not to let things affect you negatively,” she reflects. “I used to have a quick temper, but now I realize it’s such a waste of energy.” This newfound perspective has brought her peace. “In recent years,” she says, “I’ve come to understand that happiness is a choice.”
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