Blake Lively

You know Blake Lively from films like The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and Green Lantern where she met her now husband Ryan Reynolds. She spent five years on television as Serena Van der Woodson on CW’s hit show Gossip Girl. Lively and her hubby welcomed their first child, a baby girl named James, into their family this past December and the new mom not only looked stunning, but was full of energy to talk about her latest role as the title character in The Age of Adaline.

Risen Magazine: You had a baby girl in December, so reflecting on a theme in the film where your character doesn’t age but everyone around her does including seeing her daughter from birth all the way through her twilight years… what are your thoughts on needing to have a future in order to love a certain way?
Blake Lively: It’s the idea that immortality is very appealing until you realize what makes life so special is the people you get to live it with. It seems hoakie, but imagine if you eliminated everyone in your life and you got to live decade through decade, century through century – you wouldn’t want that. It’s about the experience and it’s about the people you love, so it really shows you that time and love are directly related to each other.

RM: What are your personal thoughts on aging?
BL: I feel like people worry about mortality, but aging is something society puts on you. It’s more of an aesthetic thing and something that other people are worried about like, “Oh you are looking older.” But I don’t think people sit at home and think, “I’m going to age slightly.” When you are worried that your hand is looking older or you have a crease in your eye, it is because it’s innately and instinctively related to mortality. To me, if you take away any of that superficial element then it is sad to not age.

RM: What were the challenges to playing Adaline?
BL: The approach to this character was a very unique one because I almost felt like I had to play so many different women in one. Any normal woman from the time they are young until the time they mature into adulthood, they become a different person. Also depending on what time you come of age, your manners are different especially being born in 1908 and in the 1920s; women were very much ladies. So I had to take that, but then also adapt it to modern times because Adaline had to evolve.

RM: Wardrobe actually plays quite a large role since Adaline’s life spans so many decades. Talk to the importance of selecting outfits.
BL: Wardrobe is a very important feature because it’s self-expression; how you dress every day is how you express yourself. Also for a woman it’s that much more important because of women’s rights and a woman’s place has changed very much from 1908 to now. So you really get to see that social shift in the hemlines and the shapes.

RM: The characters talk about how it is easy to have success and fame, but the hard part is making a difference. How are you choosing to make a difference in your real life?
BL: I feel like there are many different levels – your idea as just a human, or a parent, you want to make a difference in your child’s life or your family’s life. But then I’m lucky to be given a platform when I get to sit here and speak and reach more people. So there are people that we [as celebrities] can reach and lives we can help with the voice we’re given. So in my company Preserve, we give a portion of our proceeds back to Covenant House, which is providing beds and clothes and food to homeless kids in the U.S. We also help them start their own programs like a savings account and they let them live there for more than just 30 days; they can stay up to a year-and-a-half, and they really teach them to be independent. It is so important to give people the education and skills to take care of themselves. It is just a small thing, but it makes it really rewarding.