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Jeff Goldblum Wants You to Consider Growing Younger Instead of Older

Edit-jeff-goldblum-gq-0216With an infant son and a boyish curiosity (oh yeah, and that Independence Day sequel coming this summer), the philosopher-king actor may just be the world’s youngest 63-year-old. His secret? Don’t fear the Reaper

If I have a mantra in my life, if I aspire to anything, it’s to learn from nature and be part of nature—and do the best with the nature I have.“Use what exists,” my acting teacher, Sandy Meisner, used to say. That means many things, but one of the things it can mean is not fighting the aging process.

Hair Dye Will Turn You into a Corpse
My hair used to be dark, and now it’s salt-and-pepper. I like the way it looks. Luckily it’s still mostly there, so this is easy for me to say, but I would hope that if I lose my hair, I’ll just roll with it. I’ve also never used Botox, never had plastic surgery. I think when nature changes your face—especially if you live a clean life—your body is designed so it all looks right together. When you try to be youthful, it only makes you look older.

This theme resonates for me in many different areas, including fear of death.

Don’t Pretend You’re Not an Apple, Man
Put me in front of a raging bull and I’ll crap my pants like anybody, but in general I’m excited by the fleeting nature of what we are. There’s something romantic and poetic and certainly educational in it. The flower goes up and it goes down. The apple gets ripe and then it withers, and that’s what we’re all meant to do. It can only clarify, deepen, and enhance our moments on earth—and help us understand what the hell we’re doing here and how we can best live.

Try to Forgo That Which Is Buzzy
I want to eat something that has integrity. I’m constantly seeing how I feel—what seems best for my inner environment and our shared outer environment. I like fruits and vegetables and whole grains and lean protein. I’ve come not to enjoy the stuff I’ve cut out: sugary stuff, fatty stuff, fried stuff. I’m not a big drinker. I don’t like the taste, and it has no appeal to me. In general I avoid things that make me buzzy. I’m plenty buzzy as is.

A Baby Is the Fountain of Youth—Also a Barbell
I find that having a kid makes you feel younger. Whereas otherwise you might be sitting around at any given moment, now you’re not. You gotta get up and walk him around. I try for 10,000 steps a day on my Fitbit, and sometimes I work out with my son. His name is Charlie Ocean Goldblum, and he was almost 20 pounds at five months, healthy as a horse. I do chest presses with him. I hold him by the rib cage so he’s kind of horizontal, and he goes up and down and up and down. He likes that. He drools on me and laughs, and that’s a thrill. Then I go side to side with him, and I think I’m doing something good for my obliques.

Charlie’s my first kid. I don’t think I would’ve enjoyed him as much if I’d had him younger. I feel like I’m right on schedule. If I were giving him advice on growing old gracefully, here’s what I’d tell him:

The Best Medicine Is Contemplating the Wonders of the Cosmos

  • Don’t smoke. We know about that now. Don’t hurt yourself.
  • You might become a tap dancer or a hiker or a wrestler or a ballet dancer or a rock climber; we don’t know. Find out what you’re interested in and move around—and don’t stop moving.
  • Follow your interests in the lovely other creatures with whom you share this existence—and that’s all species—and contemplate the wonders of the cosmos and how you can best use your time. That’ll probably keep your head on straight.

Original post : https://www.gq.com/story/unexpected-jeff-goldblum

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