If you, like me, have been wondering what ever happened to Shirley MacLaine -- like is she still out there, the answer is yes, but maybe not as ‘out’ there as you might think.

When I heard MacLaine was coming to town as part of a new Hollywood Legends Series – a one-on-one, unscripted, improv-style show with master interviewer Dick Cavett, I immediately got tickets and found myself sitting front row center. To be that close to one of my all-time favorite actresses, in an intimate theater setting, with just the two of them on stage having a conversation, was definitely a unique experience. And MacLaine did not disappoint, in fact, the format seemed to fit her personality to a “T” – nothing scripted, nothing planned.

“I believe that when you get older, people expect you to be eccentric,” MacLaine shared. “And at 77, I believe I am -- I say whatever the hell I want!” To which the audience roared with laughter and applause.

Of course MacLaine has always been one to speak her mind and do whatever she seemingly wants. I sincerely doubt it has anything to do with age – but perhaps she feels that as she gets older, she can get away with it a little easier – or just doesn’t care as much what people think. Probably both.

Personally, MacLaine’s outspokenness and individuality are some of the traits I like best about her. She’s certainly earned the right to voice her opinions, as she’s definitely well versed in a variety of controversial subject matter. And while it may seem out there to some, it’s become pretty mainstream to others.

As a best-selling author, MacLaine has become just as famous for her devotion to New Age spirituality, reincarnation, and her belief in past lives – which she’s been writing about since the 1980s – as her 50-year singing, dancing and acting career.

“What I started writing about 30 years ago has pretty much become main stream now,” MacLaine said.

Still passionate about those subjects, including UFOs and the metaphysical world, MacLaine lives in the “spirituality capital of the world,” Santa Fe, New Mexico, and travels to places like Peru to talk with its citizens about these issues.

MacLaine is very aware that people think her beliefs are crazy and that she’s ‘out there,’ yet she enjoys having intelligent discussions with everyone from her fans to world leaders (she talked for 8 hours with Fidel Castro), and especially her favorite journalist, Mike Wallace, who she says she likes because he’s so challenging.

While MacLaine’s fascination with the world beyond was not discussed with Cavett this time, or any other time in the several interviews they’d done together, they did talk about Hollywood history, including her time with the Rat Pack’s Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, as well as her experiences with Alfred Hitchcock.

MacLaine reminisced about getting her start as a dancer on Broadway before becoming a movie-star in films like “The Trouble with Harry” (directed by Hitchcock), “Some Came Running,” co-starring her pals Sinatra and Martin, “The Apartment,” with Jack Lemmon, and “The Children’s Hour,” with Audrey Hepburn.

As a six-time Academy Award nominee, with one win for “Terms of Endearment,” MacLaine said one of her favorite movie one-liners was from her role as ‘Weezy’ in “Steel Magnolias,” when she said, “I’ve just been in a very bad mood for 40 years!” MacLaine went on to share with a laugh that she “loves playing those old lady, bitchy parts.”

Another favorite role she enjoyed playing was Coco Chanel in Lifetime’s 3-hour biopic that not only inspired MacLaine to make her own line of jewelry, but also was actually suggested by her late friend, Hepburn, back in 1961 when they were filming.

“Audrey thought Coco and I had a similar spirit,” MacLaine remembered. “I am very rude and Coco Chanel was very rude. She was honest and straight-forward, and nothing stopped her from what she wanted to do.”

And so the similarities go; however the one significant difference between Chanel and MacLaine was definitely their sense of fashion. Chanel built a career empire around it, yet MacLaine said she prefers sloppy pants and sweat suits. However, she does admit she’s grateful for her small hunk of Chanel wardrobe she kept from the film.

Of course, fittingly enough, MacLaine said she was inspired by Chanel to create her own line of jewelry. Yet unlike Chanel and most Hollywood legends who favor diamonds, MacLaine favors gemstones offered in healing colors, set in silver geometric forms that she designed for her Chakra Sky collection.

“What I’m basically doing is putting together spiritual technology with jewelry,” MacLaine stated. “I’m having as much fun doing this as acting!”

Like Chanel, MacLaine likes reinventing herself and trying new things. In addition to her jewelry collection, she also is touring with a one-woman show, “An Evening With Shirley MacLaine,” in which she screens footage from her classic films and shares insider stories, and has a new book coming out next month.
So MacLaine is still out there – her feisty, red headed spirit has definitely not changed with age. Yet while she continues to voice her opinions – regardless of what others think, the difference now she says is she doesn’t let anything, or anyone interfere with her inner peace.

“Wisdom has come with age in that sense,” MacLaine shared.
“It’s not about winning the argument or trying to understand or change someone’s point of view, it’s about accepting our differences and being OK with that.”

MacLaine’s definitely in a good place – whether it’s out there or not, we all just need to accept each other as we are.

Kelly Ferrin, gerontologist, longevity expert and author of “What’s Age Got To Do With It? Secrets to Aging in Extraordinary Ways” has been studying aging and retirement issues for over 25 years. She was one of the first to ever receive a degree in this field from the prestigious Andrus School of Gerontology at the University of Southern California, the top school in the nation for the study of age-related issues.

website: kellyferrin.com ••• email: ageangel@earthlink.net