Andie Macdowell - What I Know Now

Now Starring In Ready Or Not, The Actress Shares What She’s Learned About Motherhood, Marriage And Making Your Dreams Come True.

- Mia McNiece

From a young age Andie MacDowell, 61, knew she would have to rely on herself. Her parents divorced when she was 7, and her mother, who struggled with alcoholism, often left MacDowell to her own devices. “I always had the wherewithal to take care of myself,” she says. “I was full of adventure, and if I wanted to do something, I just figured out how to do it.” She left her small town of Gaffney, S.C., at age 20 and began modeling in New York City and Paris. But becoming an actor was always the goal. “The first time I saw a play was with my mother at Limestone College in Gaffney. I watched adults onstage playing make-believe and was fascinated. I thought, ‘That’s what I want to do.’”

And she did. She got her big break in 1989’s Sex, Lies and Videotape, followed by hits including Green Card and Groundhog Day. She now stars in her first horror film, Ready or Not. “Being an actor is the best job in the world. I feel so lucky that this is what I get to do and that someone pays me to do it,” she says. Divorced twice (from model Paul Qualley and businessman Rhett Hartzog), she’s close to her three children with Qualley: Justin, 33, a real estate agent; Rainey, 29, a singer and actress; and Margaret, 24, who stars with Brad Pitt in Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood. MacDowell finds joy in simple pleasures. “I love to hike with a friend who makes me laugh and walk the dogs with my daughters,” she says. She shared more wisdom from her life in the spotlight—and as a mom.

As a parent, know when to step in and when to step back.