โMy life is about beautyโ: Julie Newmar at 92 on shocking the world as Catwoman โ and caring for her son
She starred in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, had to stoop when she danced with Fred Astaire, then became world-famous โ and a gay icon โ in the original Batman series. But her life behind the scenes has been just as interesting ... Julie Newmar is showing me her secret garden: an oasis of greenery around her house in Brentwood, Los Angeles, that is crammed with trees, flowers, sculptures and labyrinthine paths. It feels like a little piece of old-school Hollywood, untouched by the world outside. โHere, try one,โ Newmar says as she leans over from her mobility scooter and picks me a blueberry from a bush. โIsnโt that nice?โ Itโs a well-maintained jungle of begonias, jasmine, geraniums, fruit trees, and above all, roses. She has 90 varieties, she says, including one named after her. โThat oneโs Marilyn Monroe,โ she says, pointing out a creamy pink one. โDoesnโt it look like her flesh?โ Monroeโs former house is just up the road, she mentions. Newmar has lived here for decades with her son, John, who has Downโs syndrome. They spend a lot of time out here. โI would say my life is about beauty,โ Newmar says. โI want to be a beautiful old woman; beauty in the garden; beauty in your behaviour, in your treatment of others. Because we all know that lifeโs a circle. All this stuff comes back. And in my 90s now, one has evolved. Big things happen now and theyโre more in the metaphysical, theyโre in the โwhat can I do for others?โ Because Iโve already done it for myself.โ Continue reading...