JESSICA LANGE

With her recent turn as screen icon Joan Crawford on FX’s hit drama Feud, the Oscar winner proves she’s still at the top of her game at 68.

Jessica Lange radiated confidence and star power after a recent screening of Feud at the Film Society of Lincoln Center in NYC. “Everything I was given as an actor to do, it really was a gift,” she gushed of her acclaimed performance as vintage Hollywood grand dame Joan Crawford in the FX miniseries. “This is the kind of part you want to do, and this is why you’re an actor.”

At an age when many actresses have long ago seen their careers fade, the 68-year-old star continues to pick up steam with another part tailormade for her by producer Ryan Murphy, who helped her win two Emmys for American Horror Story and a Tony for Long Day’s Journey Into Night. “Jessica has had quite a resurgence,” critic Stephen Whitty tells Closer. “People are starting to remember how terrific she can be, and in fact, has always been.”

Some might see a parallel between Jessica and Feud’s Joan, who desperately tries to hang on to her fame by teaming with rival Bette Davis for the 1962 “hagsploitation” shocker What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? But confidants of the two-time Oscar winner (for 1982’s Tootsie and 1994’s Blue Sky) say she didn’t feel like she was playing a kindred spirit. “Jessica would never cling to acting like Joan did in her later years, scratching and clawing for small TV roles,” one friend says. “She will be more than content to retire when the day comes, although she keeps pushing that day back.”

“Sometimes parts just come along when it’s the perfect time.”

— Jessica

There’s much more to Jessica’s life than acting, after all. She’s the proud mother of three: daughters Shura, 36 (with dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov), and Hannah, 31, and son Samuel, 29 (with playwright Sam Shepard). “They mean more to her than any role,” her friend says. “She loves spending as much time with them as she possibly can.” And that goes double for her two young grandkids, Shura’s daughters Adah and Ilse.

A DIFFICULT JOURNEY

Jessica’s existence wasn’t always so blissful. Her 2009 breakup with Sam — who has been arrested twice for drunk driving — after 27 years together wasn’t easy. “She saw that he

WITH HER TRIUMPH AS JOAN CRAWFORD ON FEUD, THE ACTRESS SHOWS SHE’S ONLY IMPROVING WITH AGE

had demons, and she couldn’t really get into his head to help him overcome them,” her friend explains. And she’s been open about her longtime battle with depression. “I’ve never been a sunny personality,” she says. “I’ve always been a solitary person.”

Still, Jessica hasn’t ruled out another romance — once she finds time to shift her energy from other pursuits. “She’s laser-focused on her acting roles right now, along with enjoying her family,” says her friend. “She’s having the time of her life.” And she’s determined to keep it that way. “I regret those times when I’ve chosen the dark side,” she confesses. “I’ve wasted enough time not being happy.” — Bruce Fretts, with reporting by

Amanda Williams