Few actresses embody timeless Hollywood glamour quite like Andie MacDowell. Rising to international fame opposite Hugh Grant in Four Weddings and a Funeral, MacDowell became one of the defining screen stars of the 1990s, known for her warmth, wit and unmistakable Southern charm.
Now in her sixties, MacDowell is using her voice in a different way by advocating for women both on and off screen. As a long-time ambassador for L’Oréal Paris, she has spent more than four decades championing the brand’s iconic “Because You’re Worth It” message. At this year’s Cannes Film Festival, she is also shining a spotlight on the brand’s Lights On Women initiative, which supports and celebrates emerging female filmmakers.
Speaking to Marie Claire Australia from Cannes Film Festival, MacDowell reflects on ageing, self-worth, sisterhood and why women need to continue lifting each other up.
Marie Claire: You’ve worked with L’Oréal Paris for more than four decades. What does that mean to you?
Andie MacDowell: It’s an honour to have worked with L’Oréal Paris for 41 years and watched how they’ve grown into this incredible international support system for women and beauty.
L’Oréal Paris’ Lights On Women
MC: What does L’Oréal Paris’ Lights On Women initiative mean to you personally?
They’ve had this brilliant connection with Cannes for almost 30 years now, and now adding Lights On Women to help bring attention to female directors feels so important. The idea of encouraging women and giving them visibility really means a lot to me because, historically, women haven’t always had the same opportunities.
What I love about this initiative is that you actually get to watch these women’s lives transform over time. They come back and support other women, and that idea of sisterhood is such an important part of the company’s philosophy. Women supporting women is what we’re here for. We need to lift each other up.
MC: What would you like to see more of in the film industry when it comes to women’s stories?
AM: Of course, I’m going to focus on intelligent roles for older women. I would love to see more out-of-the-box concepts for older women instead of these traditional ideas of what ageing means.
Our social structure is interesting because women are often diminished as they age, and I’d love to see roles that completely break that concept. Women have different stories to tell and different ways of seeing each other. The more opportunities women have as directors and producers, the more we can change outdated ideas about what women are capable of doing.
That’s important because it can completely reshape the concept of womanhood itself.
On self-worth
MC: How has your own sense of worth evolved over the years?
AM: I feel fortunate because I live around a lot of very strong women in their sixties and seventies. What’s interesting is that society projects this idea onto women that we somehow become “less than” as we age, but we don’t actually feel that way.
It almost feels like we constantly have to stand up for ourselves and explain that we still feel strong, vital and even sexy. We still want to live fully as whole human beings.
I think so much of the fear around ageing is projected onto women rather than something we’re truly experiencing ourselves. There’s actually something really beautiful that happens in your sixties because you become less attached to superficial things. You grow as a soul. There’s a strength and beauty that comes with that stage of life that’s difficult to explain to younger people.
It really is a beautiful time.
MC: What would you say to younger women, or even your younger self, about self-worth?
AM: There’s just no time to waste. I say that to my friends all the time. We can’t waste our lives beating ourselves up or listening to that negative inner voice.
But when you’re young, it’s hard to understand how quickly time goes by. One thing I really admire about my daughters is that they meditate, and I think that’s such an important practice. Learning how to observe your thoughts and feed yourself emotionally and intellectually in a positive way is such an important part of self-care.
Your inner voice needs to be kind. You need to give yourself a break and have self-love.
Women supporting women
MC: Why is women supporting women so important right now?
AM: We have to advocate for each other. Supporting your female friends and lifting up your sisters is a form of self-love.
There is a lot happening in the world right now, and we can’t take anything for granted. The ability to make choices about how we live our lives is so important, and we don’t want to lose the progress women have fought for.
We honestly haven’t made enough progress yet, which is exactly why we need to continue supporting each other.
What beauty means now
MC: Beauty has always been a huge part of your career. Has your relationship with beauty changed over the years?
AM: I was much harder on myself when I was younger. I think most young people absorb so much from society and from other people’s opinions. Then something shifts when you turn 60; suddenly those opinions don’t affect you in the same way anymore.
I would definitely tell my younger self to be kinder. But I’ve always loved exercise, healthy eating and being active. My children are the same — we’re athletes, we’re yogis, we love the outdoors. It’s always been a natural path for me.
My sister is actually a professional hiker and she turns 70 this year, so maybe it’s in our genes.
Andie’s beauty routine
MC: What does your everyday beauty routine look like now?
AM: I live quite a natural life, but I do like a few little things before I even go to the grocery store. I’ll fill in my eyebrows, brush them up and use Lumi Le Gloss because it gives this healthy glow to the skin.
I also love the new Plump Ambition lipstick because it works beautifully on mature lips. It gives you that polished look without settling into fine lines. And the Panorama mascara is fantastic too. Those are my quick go-to products.
MC: What brings you peace these days?
AM: I walk every day. I wake up early to watch the sunrise and go to the beach looking for shells. There’s something incredibly meditative about it.
My mind is much quieter now than it used to be. I think after 60, you become more inward and calmer. You stop feeling that constant need to please other people.
Partly because you realise time is precious, and there’s really no time to waste.
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