MetaChat - How can I age like Patrick Stewart?

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15 July 2009

How can I age like Patrick Stewart? So for my own reasons, I tried watching "Encounter at Farpoint", the 1987 pilot for Star Trek: The Next Generation. (shut up).→[More:]

OMG! They all look so young! Counsellor Troi looks like she just stepped out of her high school aerobics class! Riker looks like he's beardless because he's not old enough to shave! Wesley Crusher's about four feet high! Captain Picard looks... exactly the same as when I saw him in Waiting For Godot this year.

And while he seems to have had hair back then, his face is much the same as in "I, Claudius" in 1976.

How can I do that? I've got the baldness thing going on, but there must be more to it than that.

He was born in 1940, he was my age for "I, Claudius", so if I can work it like him I'll still look much the same in 2042.

post by: TheophileEscargot at: 03:15 | 12 comments

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posted by TheophileEscargot 15 July | 03:19

Screen makeup.

posted by Ardiril 15 July | 04:07

Well, I saw him on stage for "Waiting for Godot", from the front row. Could be stage makeup, but they're playing the tramps as an old men, and face makeup wasn't obvious.

Ian McKellan's damaged leg had some pretty hideous makeup though...

posted by TheophileEscargot 15 July | 04:38

I think the best thing you can do for your face is to not avoid losing and gaining weight repeatedly and stay out of the sun. Keep a stable healthy weight, stay out of the sun, and don't smoke.

If you want to do the beauty cream thing, wear sunscreen daily and at night use moisturizer if your skin is dry. I believe in eye cream (it doesn't have to be labeled eye cream). I use a Vitamin C serum or a retinol based cream on my face and around my eyes.

Genetics play a huge role of course. Some people are programmed to age more gracefully. It doesn't hurt that he is great physical shape. And who knows, he may have a touch of Botox or dermal fillers. I'm not saying he does but it's not impossible.

posted by LoriFLA 15 July | 09:11

Good advice LoriFla!

Don't think I'll start using beauty creams though ;-)

posted by TheophileEscargot 15 July | 11:23

Opiates. Lots & lots of opiates.

posted by item 15 July | 11:33

It worked for William S. Burroughs.

posted by item 15 July | 11:33

He actually wore a wig for I Claudius- he started going bald in his late teens.

It worked for William S. Burroughs.

How do you figure? he looked older than time itself when he died!

Oh- another star trek anti-ager... LeVar Burton. If it wasn't for his beard going gray he'd easily be mistaken for ten or fifteen years younger than he is.

posted by kellydamnit 15 July | 12:18

Gah, he looks weird with hair.

I think genetics is the biggest part of it. I'm not particularly careful with my skin except for staying out of the sun (I get ill if I'm overheated) and using some moisturizer in Winter. I have very little wrinkling around my eyes; so little that you'd have to be pretty damn close to see it. And absolutely no forehead wrinkles. My mum is pretty wrinkle free herself at 69 (I'm 42). Being overweight, as both Mum and I are, probably has something to do with it as well - more fat to fill the wrinkles.

On preview - it'd be interesting to know how old people thought I was if I started colouring my hair again. I used to get guesses 10 to 15 years younger.

posted by deborah 15 July | 12:21

Oh yeah, wear sunglasses to prevent squinting and cataracts.

posted by LoriFLA 15 July | 12:40

I think it's the baldness. You think he's older than he is as Picard. His face has been developing more lines and, uh, character.

There's also George Clooney, whose luck comes from going gray early, so he looked pretty distinguished in his 30s.

posted by dhartung 15 July | 14:50

also, in TNG Stewart was playing older. The character was in his 60s but he was in his 40s. however, given scientific advances and such, I guess in 300 years we could be saying "oh, 67 is the new 48!" or something.

I do think, though, that our general cultural idea of what a given age "should look" like is off. People are looking younger for longer now, given superior medicine, health, and so on. If you look at old photos of people in their 30s they look closer to what someone in their mid 40s looks like today.

(bonus: wikipedia has a pic of patric stewart back when he had hair)

posted by kellydamnit 15 July | 16:25

← I got new glasses! || Keep it simple. →

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