WASHINGTON—Diane Keaton is a woman who needs no introduction – a national treasure and an icon, the 77-year-old Academy Award-winning actress has done it all. AARP The Magazine (ATM) caught up with Keaton ahead of her upcoming comedy film Book Club: The Next Chapter, scheduled to release May 12 with whom she co-stars with Jane Fonda, Mary Steenburgen and Candice Bergen, to discuss how her mother’s dreams ignited the start of her career, the joys of being single, and the fun that comes with her newest undertaking – being an Instagram star.

The following are excerpts from ATM’s April/May 2023 cover story featuring Diane Keaton. The issue is available in homes starting in April and online now at www.aarp.org/magazine/.

On realizing her dreams at 7 years old:

“I watched my mother get crowned Mrs. Highland Park. I remember going, ‘Oh my God, I want that too. I want to go up there on stage where it’s all lit up.’”

On being cast as Kay Corleone in The Godfather:

“Someone said to me, ‘You’ve got to go and audition for things,’ so I auditioned for the film, and I got the role of Kay Corleone. That was the strangest thing to ever happen to me in my whole life.”

On being single:

“I don’t date. Highly unlikely. I don’t remember anyone calling me, going, ‘This is So-and-So, I’d like to take you out.’ They don’t happen. Of course not.”

On her dog and companion Reggie:

“A friend of mine gave her to me. I didn’t even ask for her. He came to me and said, ‘I think you need this dog.’ I was like, ‘Okay, I guess?’ Of course, now I just love her. Dogs are irresistible. They’re just idiots. Reggie is a big jerk, and she’s hilarious.”

On her passion for photography and filming Book Club: The Next Chapter in Italy:

“My entire trip was really about all of the things I saw and took pictures of. You walk around the streets and don’t know what you’re going to come across – that’s how rich it is.”

On her late brother, Randy:

“He passed relatively recently – it’s been a couple of years. [He] had a hard time with the world at large and just in life. He was so delicate in some ways, so sensitive. He was a real artist at heart.”

On posting on Instagram:

“I need the help, and I cherish it. It’s like making little movies, in a way. It’s collaborative.”

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About AARP
AARP is the nation’s largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering people 50 and older to choose how they live as they age. With a nationwide presence and nearly 38 million members, AARP strengthens communities and advocates for what matters most to families: health security, financial stability and personal fulfillment. AARP also produces the nation’s largest circulation publications: AARP The Magazine and AARP Bulletin. To learn more, visit www.aarp.org, www.aarp.org/espanol or follow @AARP, @AARPenEspanol and @AARPadvocates, @AliadosAdelante on social media.