‘I’m not quite sure how I got here!’ Jenny Agutter on turning 70

The actress opens up about her career longevity now she’s reached the milestone age
Jenny Agutter has reflected on recently turning 70
Good Housekeeping UK
Dominique Hines29 December 2022
The Weekender

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Jenny Argutter has said she’s not phased by turning 70 as "age is just a number".

The actress reached the milestone age on December 20 and said these days she’s all about embracing the ageing process.

“I’m not quite sure how I got here!" she says in the current issue of Good Housekeeping.

"When I turned 60, it seemed like this milestone that suddenly made a person much older and I thought, ‘is it enough of a reward to have a Freedom Pass?’

"Well, actually, yes, it was!," she continued.

Jenny Agutter first burst into showbusiness as a chid actress in the 1960s
Good Housekeeping UK / David Venni

"Now I’ve got to a point where I think, ‘Do you know what? Age really doesn’t count – it’s just a number.”

Agutter first burst into showbusiness as a child actress in the 1960s appearing most famously in The Railway Children on the BBC’s 1968 television serial and the 1970 film version.

In her adult life, she’s starred in a series of hit films such as The Avengers and An American Werewolf in London and TV shows, including Spooks and for the past decade, Call The Midwife.

“I didn’t see this happening," she told Good Housekeeping about playing Sister Julienne for more than ten years on Call The Midwife.

"I thought we’d do six episodes and that would be it.

The February 2023 issue of Good Housekeeping is now on sale
Courtesy of Good Housekeeping UK / David Venni

"I was sat on a bus once when the woman next to me said, ‘I didn’t want to disturb you, but I have to say, I watch Call The Midwife and I have a particular interest in it because I was a nun for seven years.’

"I thought, ‘Oh, my goodness, I’ve been a nun longer than her.’”

However, the mother-of-one said nothing excites her more than stepping outside of her comfort zone and pursuing unlikely projects.

“When I was asked to do the Marvel film Captain America: The Winter Soldier, I couldn’t think of anything better than stepping out of Call The Midwife to work with a stunt team and beat up Robert Redford," she joked about starring in the 2014 film.

The star, who portrayed Councilwoman Pamela Hawley of the World Security Council in the film, added: "Admittedly, they wouldn’t let me stunt-punch him.

Jenny Agutter as Sister Julienne in the BBC series Call the Midwife
BBC / Neal Street Productions / Sally Mais

"They were worried I’d actually hit him, instead of missing him!”

The February 2023 issue of Good Housekeeping is now on sale

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