My New LIFE at 50
TIME HAS ONLY MADE THIS ACTRESS SMARTER AND MORE SECURE IN HERSELF
The “Big 5-0” didn’t creep up on Melissa McCarthy — she’s actually been looking forward to her half-century birthday! “I’ve never minded getting older,” says the star. “Yes, things may start to sag and shift, but the older you are, the wiser, the funnier, the smarter you are. You become more you.”
When Melissa blows out her candles on Aug. 26, she’ll be surrounded by her loving husband, Ben Falcone, 46, and their daughters, Vivian, 13, and Georgette, 10. “That’s all she needs,” says a friend. “Ben and the girls will order food from one of Melissa’s favorite restaurants, probably the Smoke House in Burbank [Calif.]. It’s always family first.”
Ben, whom the actress calls “the calmest, most reasonable, funniest man in the world,” and their kids have kept Melissa centered since she became an overnight sensation in 2011’s Bridesmaids after 14 years in LA. She’s “still a workaholic,” says the friend, but Melissa has her priorities straight. “Her goals are simple: Make sure her daughters are prepared for life.” Melissa says that in the coming years, she’d also like to learn French and Italian, and maybe move her family to Paris for a bit.
DON’T LOOK BACK
One thing is for sure — she doesn’t miss being younger. “In my 20s I used to cry about why I wasn’t thinner or prettier...I also used to cry about things like: ‘I wish my hair would grow faster,’” she says. “I was an idiot .... It’s a decade of tears.”
These days, Melissa isn’t distracted by superficial worries. “I see these years ahead as a time to say, ‘What does it matter?’ ” she says. “Getting older means knowing yourself, and if you know yourself, express it. That experienced point of view is always more exciting.” —
“I’ve never had that thing of, ‘Why can’t I still be 35?’ ”
— Melissa