Donna Mills, the iconic star best known for portraying Abby in the hit 80s show “Knots Landing,” wants to revive her acting career.
Mills left Hollywood for motherhood, at 54, to experience every part of raising her now 27-year-old daughter. In an interview with The Daily Beast, Mills gets candid about her next moves.
“I didn’t want to work when she was little, to be out of town for two months at a time. Once she was in school, I didn’t want to take her out of school. I wanted to be a mom and loved every minute of it.”
“I don’t want to be living in the past. I am living in the present, and looking to the future,” she says “My career has given me more fulfillment than I ever could have imagined.”
While she’s mostly been out of the business for 18 years — Mills did appear on “General Hospital” in 2014, winning an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor — Knots is getting off to a great start with a role in Jordan Peele’s highly anticipated film “Nope,” starring Keke Palmer and Daniel Kaluuya. Although Mills admits her role isn’t huge, she’s still excited about the platform.
When it comes to accepting aging in an industry that seems to want to ignore it, Mills views things differently. The star is still in impeccable shape, working out five times a week while keeping up with a great skincare regime.
“It sucks thinking about mortality,” said Mills when reflecting on being in her 80s. “I want to stay here forever. I just do. But in your 70s and 80s you go, ‘S***, how much longer do I have?’ That’s scary. So, I guess all you can do is live the fullest you can in what time you have left. I’m just grateful I have my health... I’m lucky.”
Mills thinks there are plenty of good roles for “older” women — especially for those who embraces her grey hair while also serving up glitz and glamour.
“I can play the other—the older woman with gray hair. God knows, I should be able to,” she quips. “I’m old enough! It’s just two sides of me. I’m not glamorous all the time, that’s for sure.”
And in a world where reboots and sequels are all the rage, Mills wouldn’t be opposed to reviving her iconic role as Abby in a new “Knots Landing” project. Just don’t be surprised if she steals the show.
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