With 35-plus years in the film industry, actress Nia Long has blessed us with generation-defining roles in films like “Boys n the Hood”, “The Best Man”, “Soul Food”, “Friday”, and several others. Yet, while doing that, she’s remained the “IT girl” with her age-defying looks, banging body, and classic style. Yet, when you talk to her, the 54-year-old is proud of her age and doesn’t necessarily like the terms of “turning back the clock” associated with her.

Why Nia Doesn’t Like to be Called ‘Ageless’
“Nia Long hasn’t aged since Love Jones,” as one fan wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “What’s the secret sis?”

Most people would appreciate praise like being called “ageless”. But for Long, it can sometimes implicitly feed into unrealistic beauty standards for celebrities.

“I so appreciate the compliment,” says Long. “But I have to tell you, there’s so much pressure in this industry to stay beautiful and to stay young. And I’m really not interested in leaning into this idea of perfection.”

She continues, “I am a proud in my 50s, and eventually I’m going to age in a way where it’s obvious and I want it to happen beautifully and gracefully. I don’t really want the pressure of feeling like I have to be beautiful and perfect because I think beauty comes at any age.”

Long says she often finds herself being too hard on herself when she makes public appearances because she’s “trying to live up to a version of myself that was 20 years ago.”

You have to think about how you feel when you look back at your old photos. I’m not looking at it like, “Oh my gosh, I was shooting Boyz n the Hood at this time,” or “I was on Fresh Prince at this time,” or shooting Friday. Those moments, even though they were public, culture-defining moments, are still my personal ingénue moments. I judge myself — we all do, that’s part of it. Sometimes we do it too much.”

“I don’t do anti-aging things, or use products because I think I look old or am trying to avoid aging,” she says. “I use products to stay healthy and to keep healthy, vibrant skin. There’s a difference.”

How Her Skin is Different and What She Uses

“I have dry skin, and most African American women have oily skin,” she mentioned. “What happens is when you’re under the lights all day, whether you have oily or dry skin, you start to feel dry. And what I’ve learned over the years is—Chantecaille has this amazing rosewater—and I spray the rosewater on my face, and then I dab a little bit of moisturizer in the areas where I see the foundation or powder is cakey. It just instantly brightens your skin. But the key is you can’t wipe, you have to dab.”

The Importance of Listening to Her Ancestors

Speaking at a festival in July 2024 about her mindset and how her therapist has helped, Long said, “I’ll tell you a quick story because this is [in] my memoir that I’m writing. I don’t want to reveal the title yet because it could change, but my memoir is really rooted in listening to what’s around you. Not just seeing or talking or feeling, but listening. Because listening is probably one of the most important things we can do.”

She continued, “And so I called my girlfriend Jennifer Baltimore, who is my smart friend, one of those really smart friends who knows everything about everything. And so I called Jennifer. I go, ‘Jennifer, I need a therapist and I want someone that can talk to me and the boys.’ And she’s like, ‘Oh, call Dr. Henry McCurtis.’ And I was like, “OK, I’m going to do that.”

Turns out that she had a connection with McCurtis that she didn’t even realize.

I’m talking to him and there’s a beautiful black and white photo behind him,” she explained, asking the audience to remember this anecdote for the remainder of the story. “When I was a young girl and my grandmother used to make me meditate, and she talked about therapy. This is in the very early ’70s when Black folks were like, ‘If you go to therapy, you’re crazy.’ She was very innovative in her thinking. And so her therapist’s name was Dr. Curtis. My therapist is Dr. Henry McCurtis. So as we’re talking, I go, what’s that black and white photo behind you? And he goes, ‘Oh, that’s my mentor. His name was Dr. Curtis.’”

She then knew that everything was happening for the right reason. “Then I knew I was in the right place,” she said. “So listen and pay attention to those things, because angels are real. They’re real. Our ancestors are always pushing for our greatness. And so if you just settle into that listening and receiving, you’ll feel a sense of ease as you walk through this life, no matter how tough it gets.”