In a rare moment of vulnerability, Billy Bob Thornton confessed that reaching the age of 70 has been a daunting experience, admitting, “This one actually did affect me.” Unlike previous milestones, the Landman star shared that entering his eighth decade brought about a genuine sense of trepidation and reflection that he hadn’t felt before.
Billy Bob Thornton Admits He Was ‘Scared’ About Turning 70: ‘This One Actually Did Affect Me’
“Every day when I wake up I just say I’m blessed; that’s really it,” said the ‘Landman’ actor
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NEED TO KNOW
- Billy Bob Thornton turned 70 in August and said the milestone birthday “actually did affect me”
- But the Landman actor realized he felt grateful to get older: “Every day when I wake up I just say I’m blessed; that’s really it”
- Thornton said he celebrated his birthday with quiet family time and a vegan cake
Billy Bob Thornton felt different about turning 70 than any previous milestone birthday.
The Oscar-winning Landman actor celebrated his birthday in August. In a recent interview with CBS News’ Sunday Morning, he admitted it was a lot to process for him.
“You know what, it’s so funny you’re scared of every milestone. But this one actually did affect me in a way that I had to, you know, have a few meetings with myself late at night,” said Thornton.
Eventually, the actor, who is dad to four kids and is married to wife Connie Angland, 61, became grateful about getting older and gaining respect with age.
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“We’ve all seen each other get older. And when I see that wisdom and see the respect that people have for them, it just kind of makes everything melt away somehow,” he said. “I mean, I’m in a successful band and I’m in a successful show. Every day when I wake up I just say I’m blessed. That’s really it.”
In a wide-ranging recent interview with Rolling Stone, Thornton shared how he spent his 70th birthday, opting for quiet time with family instead of a big party.
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“Connie asked me what I wanted and I said, ‘Nothing, absolutely nothing. As a matter of fact, don’t mention it to anybody,’ ” he told the outlet.
“We really just hung out here at the house, just me and Connie and the kids,” Thornton said, “and had a nice time, and they got me a vegan cake, which — I can’t eat wheat or dairy, so that was awesome. Anytime a guy like me could have cake, it’s a great day.”
The Bad Santa actor also told the outlet that the “best part” of his Hollywood success is “being able to take care of my family and do something that I love in the process.”
“There are a lot of ways you can take care of your family, but it involves a lot of work that’s not necessarily creative. And if I don’t create, I die,” he explained. “So being able to be creative and take care of my family in the process, that’s the most important thing.”
Landman season 2 is now streaming on Paramount+.