9 Quick Questions for Melissa Gilbert

What other health care concerns are you hearing women talk about?

Women’s physical health care is a major concern, but also emotional and mental well-being. We spent so many generations being dismissed as moody or emotional or just plain crazy. We still have a long way to go in people understanding that menopause is not — or that aging, actually, I’m gonna go so far as saying aging itself is not a disease. Aging is a natural process. In my opinion, the most damaging words right now in the English language are anti-aging. To me, anti-aging means death. I mean, you die. You’re going to age no matter what you do. The opposite of that is death.

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Speaking of aging, you turn 60 this year. How are you feeling about it?

Apparently it’s supposed to be a big deal. I’m very kind of sanguine about it. I’m just so happy I’m still here — grateful I’m here and healthy and I have all these amazing children and grandchildren and wonderful friendships. It’s all boiled down to everything essential. There’s no more superfluous, frivolous BS anymore.

Are you going to have a big party?

I think so. … For me, really all I want is [to be with] my kids and grandkids and my mom and my sister and my nephews. If my friends want to come, that’s great. I have a wonderful network of girlfriends. I say network, and there’s like six of them who are essential to my well-being. I would just love (because my children are all spread out across the country) to be able to gather them all in one place with my grands. That would make me happy. I don’t want anything else for my birthday. If someone could make that happen, I will be eternally grateful.

Do you think 60-year-old women are more seen than in the past?

I think we’re on our way to being more appreciated than we ever were before, and it’s because of this generation of women. We are a generation of working women. We were all raised to be far more independent. We are the generation that is least likely to be messed with going forward. There’s still a lot of hurdles, though, for women around our age. There’s still a lot of women who are starting over in new ways for many different reasons, whether it’s children moving out or loss of a spouse or, in many of our cases, having to walk through the end of the lives of our parents.

Gilbert, seen here with clothing designer April Cornell, is co-founder of the lifestyle brand Modern Prairie.

Courtesy Julie Zahn/Modern Prairie

Having grown up in the entertainment business, did you face sexism or harassment? Did the #MeToo movement resonate with you?

Oh my Lord, yes, of course. I dealt with it my entire professional life, and I certainly dealt with it quite a bit when I was just [looked at as] this “attractive actress” — not that I would really have a lot to contribute beyond that. As far as harassment in the workplace and things like that, I actually managed to navigate blessedly through my career, certainly as a child, without having to deal with a lot of that. There were moments here and there when I was in my teens and certainly in my 20s where people would take advantage of that, and I was put in a couple uncomfortable situations, but nothing traumatic, just frustrating. I’m very lucky that way, because so many women my age were traumatized.

Is it accurate to say that you are not primarily interested in acting these days?

You know what, it’s not. That’s not actually right. I’m still acting and still working, [but] I don’t have the ambition that I had. I don’t feel like I have to get every job, that I have to get every role. I don’t feel like I have to sacrifice my own mental well-being because the job takes me away from home for several months and I know that’s not really the best place for me, but I have to do it because I have to achieve this. I’m coming at it from a much different place. I love acting. I love the process of acting. [In September 2023] I did a workshop of a new musical [Runaway Home] in New York City for two weeks, and I had the time of my life. I had so much fun because I don’t have the self-doubt that I used to. I’m very comfortable in who I am and what my abilities are. I’m very, very comfortable learning and not being the smartest person in the room and not having to prove myself.

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