Being 38 years old in Hollywood is way different from being 38 in the real world.
“38 is a crazy number. It’s not fun when you see things start to change,” Liv Tyler, who turned 38 in July, told More magazine. “When you’re in your teens or twenties, there is an abundance of ingénue parts which are exciting to play. But at [my age], you’re usually the wife or the girlfriend, a sort of second-class citizen. There are more interesting roles for women when they get a bit older.”
However, the change of roles has not been a setback for the famous daughter of Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler who is gearing up for the second season of HBO’s “The Leftovers.” The role is quite a change for the actress, who is used to movie roles.
“With a film, you have the script, and you know the beginning, middle and end. With TV, they write as they go. I have no idea what my character is going to be doing … which is frustrating,” she said. “Part of me loves it, and part of me hates it, having no control. Being comfortable in the unknown is hard for humans; even if we don’t really know what’s going to happen, we kind of trick ourselves into thinking we have a plan. This latest career move has been an exercise in letting go.”
Tyler’s career will always come second to her family, though. The actress has two sons, Milo, 10, whom she had with ex-husband Royston Langdon, and her 7-month-old baby boy, Sailor, whom she had with her current beau, Dave Gardner.
“I had this philosophy that you should only get married once. But then, of course, that changes,” she said. “I definitely believe we have lessons we learn through our relationships. You’re meant to work through and mirror each other. It’s the thing in someone that drives you the most crazy that is maybe a part of yourself somewhere.”
Between her busy job and life as a mom, Tyler is trying to slow things down and focus on what’s important.
“We’re always doing, doing, doing. Sometimes you should just stop and look around you and take in what’s happening,” she said.