Glenn Close Learned “How to Be a Mother” From Daughter Annie Starke (EXCLUSIVE)

Though Glenn Close was thrilled to have daughter Annie Starke starring in a film with her in Scotland last year, the actress made herself scarce when it was Annie’s turn in front of the camera. “I decided the best thing would be for me to get out of town,” Glenn shared with a laugh. “I didn’t want Annie to think she had a mother who hovers around,” she told a reporter for The Golden Globes.

In The Wife, about a woman who sacrifices her own writing career for the sake of her husband’s, Glenn and Annie play the same titular character at different ages, so it was easy to give each other professional space. Off camera, though, it’s a whole different story. 

Glenn and Annie at the premiere of ‘The Wife.’ (Photo Credit: Getty Images)

“We just love being together,” Glenn, 71, exclusively raved about her only child to Closer Weekly — in the magazine’s latest issue, on newsstands now! — at her TimesTalks event in NYC on July 31. (Annie’s dad is Glenn’s ex, producer John H. Starke.) Despite Annie’s show business pedigree, however, Glenn insisted she didn’t actively influence Annie’s decision to become an actress. 

“She taught me how to be a mother, and I’ve always felt it was my job to keep her safe, give her food and provide a roof over her head, but she was going to be whoever she was going to be,” Glenn said. “It had nothing to do with me!”

Annie, 30, agreed. “I knew what I wanted to do from a very young age. It’s just part of who I am,” she explained to The Golden Globes reporter, though she admitted her career choice came as no big surprise to her parents. “They saw it coming from miles away,” she said with a laugh, noting that her mom has been incredibly supportive. “I observed her since the day she was born and I think she chose the right thing for herself,” Glenn said. 

As for Annie’s performance in The Wife, which happens to be her first major film role? “I was so proud when I saw her work. It was beautiful,” Glenn once said. There’s no doubt Annie picked up a thing or two about her craft from her mom — a six-time Oscar nominee — but she’s inspired her mother plenty in return. 

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“What I like about Annie and her friends is that her generation doesn’t just sit around,” Glenn said of how passionately her daughter is chasing her dreams. “She’s very fierce,” Glenn has said of the fledgling actress, who impressed her mother with her approach to her role in The Wife. 

“What Annie did,” Glenn explained, “is she thought of her paternal grandmother, a chemist who gave up everything to raise a family. Annie felt that at the end of her life there was a certain wistfulness, a lack of fulfillment, and I was gratified with her understanding of what women have dealt with.”

Glenn’s successful and rewarding career, she hopes, will serve as a great example for Annie. “I’m very happy to have work that my daughter can observe that I love,” Glenn once said. “She’ll see somebody who’s very involved and passionate about what she does, and hopefully someday she’ll have that same kind of fulfillment.”

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And if Annie wants to repay her mom for paving the way, Glenn is not one to pass up a good meal. “Annie’s a wonderful cook, and I’m always lucky when she’s home because she gets excited about cooking. I feel very spoiled. I’ve learned so much from her!” Glenn has admitted. Of course, she’s imparted plenty of wisdom of her own to her daughter. “What have I taught her? To be kind,” Glenn once said. “And to write thank-you notes!”

For more on Glenn Close and Annie Starke, pick up the latest issue of Closer Weekly, on newsstands now — and be sure to sign up for our newsletter for more exclusive news!