Ellen Burstyn Is ‘Proud’ to Still Be Working at 91 With ‘Law & Order’ Role and ‘The Exorcist’ Sequel

Ellen Burstyn says that if she could go back in time and give her younger self advice — she wouldn’t! “There was something about the discovery process that was so nourishing that I don’t think I would want to rob myself of that,” she tells Closer exclusively. “I learned so much. I don’t think I’d like to interfere with any wisdom from the future.”

Continuing to learn and challenge herself has kept Ellen vibrant. The actress, who won an Oscar for 1974’s Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, still loves taking on new roles. “I’m most proud that I’m still working and I’m 91 years old,” she says.

Most recently, Ellen returned to one of her most famous roles as Chris MacNeil in The Exorcist: Believer, a sequel to the 1973 film. “Playing a character that I created 50 years ago, I thought, ‘She’s had 50 years of living. Who has she become?’” says the star.

Viewers of Law & Order: Organized Crime have also seen Ellen in the recurring role of Bernadette Stabler, mother of Christopher Meloni’s Elliot Stabler. “I love Chris. He is such a good man, a good actor, and a very good son!” laughs Ellen. “We have a connection. That happens when you play somebody’s close relative, especially over a period of time.”

Embrace Aging

What’s Ellen’s secret to her long career? Not acting her age! “I’ve always heard that there’s ageism in Hollywood, and when women get to be 50, they don’t get work anymore,” she muses. “I’m sure that’s true, but one of the ways I dealt with that was that I started playing older characters when I was still pretty young. I would put on the gray wigs and play older.” She believes that denying the passage of time is a losing proposition anyway. “It’s best to greet it head on and jump in and be older,” she says. “That’s what I did.”

In addition to her work as an actor, Ellen is creating a book of her favorite poems. “It’s a book for people who don’t like poetry,” she explains. “I’m having a really good time with that because I do love poetry. I want to share my favorite poems.”

Many busy people choose between a thriving career and a satisfying home life, but Ellen feels content with the balance she’s achieved. The divorced actress adopted her son, Jefferson, during her second marriage in 1961 and largely raised him on her own. They are still extremely close. “I was able to fill both roles as mother and father,” she explains. “What I’m most proud of is that I managed to raise a son who is the best possible father to his daughter.”

Ellen admits she doesn’t have a bucket list of unfulfilled dreams. “You know, we do what we can,” she says. “I’m pretty nourished by my life.”