Busy Phillips is embracing life in her 40s — and she thinks there are some perks that come with the milestone.
“Most people would say — especially women — that once you hit 40, you really come into your own in terms of confidence and understanding who you are and what it is that you actually want in your life. All of the things that don’t matter, kind of just fall away and you allow them to, as opposed to holding on so tightly,” Phillips, 45, exclusively told Us Weekly while promoting her partnership with California Pizza Kitchen.
The Dawson’s Creek alum noted that the sentiment was “certainly true” for her, adding that it’s “probably the best part” of getting older.
“Also, I’m way hotter now than I ever was, so there’s that too,” Phillips quipped. “Truly, like, aesthetically speaking — whether or not this is popular, whatever — I’m just way better looking now. I don’t know. So whatever that is, you know what I mean?”
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Phillips revealed that she never felt pressure when she turned 40 to look a certain way. “But I do think there is something about living authentically and feeling most like yourself that allows you to look better. You know what I mean?” she said. “I do think that that is true.”
In honor of her 40th birthday, Phillips threw herself a “giant party” because she was “so excited” about the new age.
“I do feel, like, a little bit like 40 is the new 30 or whatever, but I feel like I only really came into my own in these last few years,” she confessed. “I don’t think before then I was particularly in my body and in my genuine true self.”
To celebrate California Pizza Kitchen turning 40, Phillips partnered with the restaurant — where she worked in high school as a hostess. When Phillips went to college at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, she worked at California Pizza Kitchen until she landed the pilot for Freaks and Greeks. (The teen comedy, which premiered in 1999, lasted for one season.)
“I think your 40s are incredible, and I think that we gotta all embrace it and get over the idea that it’s anything to feel shame about or that you would want to try to hide your age because at this point, honey, you’ve lasted 40 years, that is something to celebrate,” she told Us. “The fact that after all these years, CPK is still killing it, still doing the pizzas — Oh my gosh, that original barbecue chicken pizza still is so delicious.”
With reporting by Christina Garibaldi
