Regina King on Turning 50: 'I'm Much More Interesting Now'

Regina King only gets better with age.

"I feel like I'm so much more interesting now, as a soon-to-be 50-year-old woman, than I was at 25," the One Night in Miami director, who turns 50 January 15, told British Vogue. "I can bring so much more to the table. I think that's the same for all people."

King's buzzy civil rights drama will debut on her 50th birthday, which comes after years of career milestones for her. The actress picked up her first Oscar in 2019 for If Beale Street Could Talk, starred in the hit HBO series Watchmen, which earned her an Emmy last year, and gave impactful performances in American Crime and Netflix's Seven Seconds.

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The mom of son Ian, 24, cherishes the experiences she's had along the way.

"You may not have the stamina that you had at 25, but what you know now? So much better," she said.

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King hopes her own awards recognition, along with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' new diversity and inclusion guidelines, "will encourage people to broaden their perspective and make for richer storytelling," she said.

But at the end of the day, King doesn't put pressure on picking up trophies since she believes "it was the intent with these awards shows to boost ticket sales."

The Los Angeles native looks to fellow star Helen Mirren as inspiration that her career will only continue to grow as she gets older.

"I think Helen Mirren is everyone's hero," King told the monthly of the 75-year-old Brit. "She's the person who's made it her career and the stories that she's involved with and that she's been a part of telling — I look at her and I feel things are just going to continue to get better."

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