Rhea Perlman is still in the game — and she’s thankful for it.
“In the last 10 years, and actually in the last five, there have been more (women’s parts). Not much more of them, but in the old days there were none after a certain age,” the 74-year-old. tells Yahoo Life. “The last year I’ve had a few things done and I was really excited to still be working – you don’t know, as an actor, how much you’re going to work as you get older, especially as a woman. Men look to do quite well – they continue to work.”
Perlman has a top-secret role in the finale of Peacock’s mystery series Poker face, airs Thursday. She also appeared on Tuesday’s episode of Accused, a crime drama anthology where we see the perspective of a crime from the defendant’s point of view. Perlman plays a comedy club owner who becomes embroiled in a lawsuit when a female comic accuses another comedian of assault.
“(My character) takes the attitude that I would have taken back then: If it’s your career and someone has assaulted you that could be detrimental to you career-wise, you don’t say anything about it,” she explains. . “As a woman, it takes a lot to complain to people other than your friends that someone is inappropriate. I’ve quit jobs (outside of acting) over this. But now I get to play the role of a woman who takes the opposite stance on what women are doing since #MeToo.”
Perlman has also performed recently It’s always sunny in Philadelphia — and some might wonder what took so long, since she’s been married to its star Danny DeVito since 1982. The couple officially separated in 2017, but have no plans to divorce. Perlman says she and DeVito, who are “extremely family-oriented” and love spending time with their three children, appreciate their alone time.
“I like not always having my husband here – I love that we can see each other when we want,” she explains. “He doesn’t have to take me to every function and I don’t have to take him. We can do separate things and still have a great time when we’re together.”
She admits that “it’s great to have the freedom to do what you want, to watch what you want, not to have the TV on if you don’t want to. But I have to say there are times when I miss it ,” she says of her marriage. “It’s a mixed bag.”
When it comes to the pressure to fit into the industry standard of beauty, it is Matilda star says she doesn’t overthink it.
“I just don’t look like that,” Perlman says. “Unless I’ve had full plastic surgery, there’s no way not to be who I am. There’s no way not to be who you are if you’re going to be true to yourself and okay with that. I look at myself in the mirror when I put on makeup and say, ‘Why do I have this under my eyes?’ You’re constantly judging your looks in this industry, but so are, I think, women in every business judges their appearance – it’s not just show business.”
When it comes to how she feels about plastic surgery in general, Perlman’s philosophy is to do what’s best for you. While she admits that “it’s really hard to watch yourself get older,” she makes it a point to focus more on staying physically fit — she went under the knife to get her knees replaced, for example.
“I like to work out and stay really active and go for long walks and do a lot of yoga and be flexible — that’s the most important thing for me in terms of feeling good and staying healthy,” she says. “I’m pretty good at eating healthy, but I like sweets and I don’t stay away from things. I do whatever feels good in the moment.”
Accused airs on Fox and is available to stream on Hulu. Poker face streaming on Peacock.
Wellness, parenting, body image and more: Get to know WHO behind Oops with the Yahoo Life newsletter. sign up here.