'I'm 90 and still going': Ellen Burstyn sheds light on 'ageism', reveals she's 'busier' now than ever in her career
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Ellen Burstyn is bursting with energy at 90! The star who played Chris MacNeil in David Gordon Green’s 'The Exorcist: Believer' opened up on how she keeps up with all the work at her age.
"I turn 91 in December and I’m busier than I can ever remember being at any point in my career," she recently told Interview magazine.
Ellen added, "And I don’t understand it at all. I mean, what’s all this stuff about ageism in Hollywood? How did I get left out of it?"
When asked by Christopher Meloni, what attributes to her presence in the industry, she joked, "I don’t know, except possibly that everybody else who could play those parts has already died, so I’m the only actress still standing who can play the great-grandmother or something."
What is Ellen Burstyn's secret at age 90?
Before describing her daily routine, Ellen stated that she tries to say "Thank You" as soon as she wakes up.
'The Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore’ actress explained, "Thank you that I’m alive. Thank you that I’m safe. Thank you that I’m healthy. Thank you that I’m 90 and still going."
She added, "Thank you for my doggies. I mean, I have a lot to live in a state of gratitude for."
Giving an insight on her ‘strong’ demeanor, Ellen, who is a vegetarian shared, "The secret of that is eating well, exercising, not drinking, not smoking, not doing drugs, and deciding to live healthy."
"That’s what I decided after doing all those bad things for a couple of decades," she added.
"I walk my doggies. I read an awful lot. I go to concerts. I play with my friends, have people over," Burstyn answered when asked about her fun activities.
What did Ellen Burstyn say about 'The Exorcist: Believer?'
Getting candid about her new release, and returning to the 'Exorcist' franchise, Ellen told the outlet, "There aren’t that many people who are still working in the business after 50 years, let alone recreating a character they did that long ago."
She continued, "I have a real connection and feeling for the other actors in the film, because we all went through something."
"You don’t make a movie like that without going through a lot of real, emotional stuff. So the things that happened in that film, that touched on things from the first film, grabbed me," She added.