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"They make women feel insecure. You never hear women say 'God, I love my body. I think my crow's feet are gorgeous.'" Broderick is adamant inher belief that "Life Begins at 40" is more than a catch phrase. "You let go of unnecessary worries. You pick your battles and feel more comfortable in your skin and in your body. That takes women a long time to learn. It's a right you have to claim." She doesn't go in for extreme diets, exercise or cosmetic alterations, the seeming prerequisites for Tinseltown women past 35 to keep attractive. "I think our faces get more mobile as we get more at ease. They reflect what we've learned." As for keeping that lean, lovely physique? She dismisses it as no big deal. "Eat your dinner, exercise and enjoy your life." Now in her fifth season with "Sabrina," Broderick has grown not only personally, but also professionally. She now gets to direct episodes. "I wouldn't have been able to do that even four years ago. I didn't have the emotional maturity to do what the job requires. When you're directing, there are a lot of people to please. I have to balance and honor all their needs. You have to be very mature and benevolent to do that." Surrounded by a young cast, she often finds herself in the role of mentor. "We talk about boys a lot, what to do and what not to do to get what you want out of a relationship." She does note, however, that young men today are better equipped to see members of the opposite sex as equals. "They're interacting in a very different way. These boys are growing up with moms who had to be moms AND work. Moms who dated. Many boys of this generation are children of divorce. Their expectations of girlfriends are very different than those of the men in my generation. Men my age still find it very confusing when they are confronted by a professional woman who is a peer." That could be why Beth Broderick finds the company of one particular younger man to her liking! "I think he's more equipped to handle a woman outside of the stereotypes of what one expects. People don't expect me to be a writer, director, actor and gourmet cook. Frankly, that's a lot ot throw at pepole in one package! When I was younger," she laughs in an Eartha Kitt-like purr, "it was particularly difficult for them to accept that 'Barbie' had such an extensive vocabulary!" The
most important quality in a man? "A real sense of curiosity
about the world. Not a day goes by that I don't say 'I learned something
today.' I find it frustrating to date someone who is trying to present
who he is, rather than discover it." Nelson Aspen is the Los Angeles correspondent for TV GUIDE TELEVISION. You may visit him at www.nelsonaspen.com |
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