When Lauren Hutton started her career in the '60s, she was told to fix the gap in her teeth. And while she tried to hide it for a while using a piece of wax, it soon became her signature. Hutton made history by being herself when she signed a contract with Revlon that was, at the time, the most expensive modeling contract ever. Her modeling career has included fashion and beauty campaigns, magazine covers, and runway shows, and she's also delved into acting, too. These days, she is not acting as much as she once did, but she is still modeling and walking in shows for top designers. She's also scuba diving, traveling, and sharing some of the wisdom she's gained in her 78 years. Read on to learn more about Hutton's life today.
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She's still a working model.
In recent years, Hutton has walked the runway for Valentino, Bottega Veneta, and Tom Ford, and modeled for brands like The Row and J. Crew. Last year, she posed in pieces from an animal-inspired collection by Cartier.
Speaking to Vogue in 2020, Hutton explained that she never thought about whether she'd be modeling this long. "When I was in my 20s and 30s and 40s, I didn't really think about that," she said. "The barriers that women have broken continually make everything possible now. I always thought it was just plain dumb—even as a kid—that because someone was 65 they were supposed to be put out to pasture. A lot of people are tired and want to be put out to pasture, and that's fine—they should go do what they want to do—but if you don't and you have all this experience, it seems like a dumb thing. It certainly doesn't take too much for me to go walk down a runway once in a while…"
Her acting career has slowed down.
Some of the films Hutton is best known for are Paper Lion (1968), The Gambler (1974), and American Gigolo (1980). More recently, in 2007, she appeared on a couple of episodes of Nip/Tuck, and she was in the movie The Joneses in 2009. Her most recent movie role was in the 2018 comedy I Feel Pretty, which starred Amy Schumer.
"When I got the call offering me a role in Amy Schumer's I Feel Pretty, I hadn't made a movie in 10 years and was on my way to dive with great white sharks off the coast of Mexico," Hutton told Harper's Bazaar. She said that she "didn't have time to read the script before I got on the boat" but said yes right away because she wanted to work with Schumer.
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She loves traveling.
Hutton has said that she got into modeling because it would give her money to travel. She's a huge fan of exploring the world and of doing adventurous and risky things like scuba diving and riding motorcycles. In fact, she got into a bad motorcycle accident in 2000 that required multiple surgeries, but according to Today, it made her want to live life to the fullest even more.
"I used to spend three months out of the year traveling in Africa, mostly in Tanzania but also in Ethiopia, Somalia, and Congo, and I really wigged out on wildlife," she told InStyle last year. "I've had these nanosecond smatterings of escaping death, particularly with animals, and those are the moments when I've learned the most. The biggest thrill in life is seeing how precious it is, when you come so close to just throwing it away by holding a crocodile's claw or something." By the way, the story about narrowly escaping a crocodile really happened to her in the '70s.
She shares her life advice freely.
Hutton is often asked about beauty tips. And while she told Vogue she does pilates and drinks a lot of water, she shared that her biggest piece of advice has nothing to do with diet or exercise.
"Love is the best one. Just love," she said. "Try to find someone you love, even if it's a kid. Just love as many people as you can. It's really nice to roll around with somebody and feel skin. I'm saying all these things I shouldn't be saying!"
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Lia Beck Lia Beck is a writer living in Richmond, Virginia. In addition to Best Life, she has written for Refinery29, Bustle, Hello Giggles, InStyle, and more.Read moreFiled UnderCelebrities • Entertainment • Fashion • NewsRead This NextThe Biggest Female Icon of Every Year
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