Kathleen Turner is a national treasure. The actress made her breakthrough in Body Heat (1981) and continued to make some of the most well-received movies of the 80s and 90s, including Romancing the Stone (1984), Serial Mom (1994) and so many more, up to the present day. “I’ve been acting professionally for 41 years,” she told Vulture in 2018. “I think my ability to maintain a career for that long has a little something to do with quality, don’t you think?” At 70, Turner shows absolutely no signs of slowing down, much to the delight of anyone who appreciates her work. Here’s what she’s up to these days.
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She’s Still Acting
A Bigger Boat
Turner has rheumatoid arthritis, but doesn’t let that stop her from work. She recently starred in 2024 thriller The Long Game. “I’m getting stronger all the time,” she told The Guardian. “Part of me goes: Do I get to stop working at some point? On the other hand, I can’t imagine not working. So there you go.”
She Aims to Keep Sober
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Turner checked herself into rehab in 2022 after becoming reliant on alcohol to dull the pain of her autoimmune disease. “It was incredibly stupid,” she told The Guardian. “I had this thing in my head where I thought: ‘I’m not taking pain pills – they are addictive and dangerous.’ But it was OK to have that second or third vodka… I thought: ‘I am wasting my entire day with my daughter, with my husband, because I’d close myself down and drink.’ I couldn’t see that in myself at all. I thought: ‘OK, it’s not me. I’m not an alcoholic, but I am an abuser [of drink].’ So I stopped drinking for a couple of years… I don’t imagine I’ll ever drink like that again. But then I don’t have that amount of pain, either.”
One Woman Show
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Turner had fun with her one woman show Finding My Voice, which she performed across the country. “It’s about me, my life, my adventures, what I've learned, what I believe in,” she told Shondaland.
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Love For Maggie Smith
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Turner frequently talks about her love for actress Maggie Smith. “She’s outrageous, wonderful, and has become a good friend over the years,” she told Shondaland. “She’s intuitive. She knows every note when something is off or sour. I think her instincts are stunning, and yet, she’s completely understated. She’s really quite an extraordinary artist.”
She Teaches At NYU
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Turner taught acting classes at NYU, something she enjoys. “I do love teaching. I’m very good at it, I can help people understand,” she told Shondaland. “I’m tough on them and I don’t take amateurs — only people who have a certain amount of skill. Otherwise, I don’t think I’d be very effective.”
