Who got 50 right, and who got it horribly wrong?
By Reed Tucker
December 21, 2013 | 8:14pm
Brad Pitt doesn’t mind turning 50 “a bit.” But then, you hook up with Angelina Jolie and see what it does to your outlook on life.
Last week, the hunk reached the big 5-0, and the milestone left many fans fondly remembering his shirtless turn in 1991’s “Thelma and Louise,” and wondering, “Has it been that long?”
It has. And since then, Pitt has gone on to get nominated for three Oscars — marry, then divorce — the gossip world’s loneliest woman (Jennifer Aniston) and, finally, settle down with Jolie and their brood.
“I’m definitely past halfway,” Pitt told the AP on turning 50. “I think about it very much as a father. You just want to be around to see your children do everything. If I have so many days left, how am I filling those days? I’ve been agonizing over that one a bit like I never have before.”
He’s doing 50 right, it seems — certainly in the looks department.
But the same can’t be said for all of Hollywood. For every celeb who reaches the half-century mark with grace, there’s another who doesn’t. For every George Clooney, there’s a Lindsay Lohan.
Wait, is she not 50? Are you sure? Anyway.
So which stars are doing 50 right, and who could use a little help? Surprisingly, most these days look pretty good.
“There’s no question, 50 is not only the new 40, it’s the new 35,” says Stephen T. Greenberg, M.D., F.A.C.S, a Manhattan and Long Island-based celebrity plastic surgeon.
“If you look closely at pictures, you’ll never be able to tell if certain celebrities have had minor cosmetic surgeries,” he says. “They don’t look overdone. They’re doing what they need to do to look good and maintain their looks.”
Some examples of those who might have had some successful nips and tucks? Brad Pitt, for one. Greenberg says the star’s eyes appear as if they’ve had a lift. Whatever work Tom Cruise (51) might have had looks good and subtle, too.
Same goes for Pitt’s pal, Clooney — another star that’s doing 50 right. Or 52, technically. He’s admitted to having his eyes done, and Greenberg says he may have had face fillers, as well.
The key to looking natural —and not like Nic Cage (who turns 50 in January) — Greenberg says, is to do a little work at a time. That’s the fashion now, and it keeps stars from looking overdone. Demi Moore, 51, probably went too far with fillers and injectables.
The same was once true of Courteney Cox (turning 50 in a few months). Greenberg says that she previously had the look of someone who went on a filler spree, with too-full lips and cheeks. In other words, she nearly turned into Meg Ryan, 51, who went from adorable girl-next-door to a duck-lipped alien, and became a cautionary tale against too much face reconstruction. But recently, Cox has been looking better, Greenberg says, probably having backed off a little on the procedures.
Not so for Courtney Love (49.5). The aging rock star might have dug herself into a Hole with too much facial work.
“She’s a bad one,” says Greenberg, author of “A Little Nip, A Little Tuck: An Insiders Guide to Cosmetic Enhancement.” “She’s had her nose done, she had perhaps even facial surgery and lots of injections. She does not look natural.”
Fashion is also a big component of getting 50 right.
“The key,” says celebrity stylist Robert Verdi, “is to not dress what people think of as old. You want classics with a twist.”
When it comes to the ladies, Sasha Charnin Morrison, a veteran celeb stylist and the fashion director at US Weekly, warns against trying to emulate how the 20-year-old starlets are styled, including showing a bit too much skin.
“You shouldn’t try and dress like your kids,” she says. “That’s usually a problem.”
She gives high marks to Sheryl Crow, 51, (“has been through a lot and looks great”) and Sandra Bullock, who turn 50 in a few months.Verdi agrees.
“Women like Julianne Moore, [53], and Bullock have come to a place where, whatever they’re insecure about, they know how to control it,” Verdi says. “Whether it’s boobs, a flat butt or their stomach, they are under control.”
Although it would be easy to argue, Verdi gives a passing grade to Johnny Depp, 50, despite his eccentric style.
“Johnny feels like your wacky uncle,” Verdi says. “I appreciate it from the perspective that men have been so scared to take fashion risks their entire lives.”
Speaking of risks, there’s Axl Rose, 51, the puffy rock star who seems to have gone to the Bret Michaels (50) school of fashion — the main commandment of which is you’re never too old to wear a head bandana. Awards shows? Funerals? The gym? Doesn’t matter.
Rose has also been known to step out in fur coats, a Fu Manchu mustache and beaded hair. If Depp is the wacky uncle, call Rose the creepy cousin.