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Betty White will be celebrating her 100th birthday on Jan. 17, and the television legend shares her thoughts about her centennial in a new cover story for People.
“I’m so lucky to be in such good health and feel so good at this age,” says White. “It’s amazing.”
As White explains, she was “born a cockeyed optimist,” something she credits for the positive outlook she’s held throughout her life. “I got it from my mom, and that never changed,” she says. “I always find the positive.”
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According to White, the secret to her longevity doesn’t have to do with her diet. “I try to avoid anything green. I think it’s working,” quips White, whose favourite foods include hot dogs and pizza.
White also reveals that her celebrity crush on Robert Redford remains as strong as ever — something she hopes won’t upset Ryan Reynolds, her co-star in “The Proposal”.
“I’ve heard Ryan can’t get over his thing for me,” she jokes, “but Robert Redford is The One.”
In the People cover story, Reynolds is among the celebrities to pay tribute to the iconic star of such TV hits as “The Mary Tyler Moore Show”, “The Golden Girls” and “Hot in Cleveland”.
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”Timing isn’t easy in comedy, because you have to navigate other people’s timing. Betty pivots like I have never seen, making it look seamless. The rest of us just remain silent and pray we’re not cut out of the scene,” says Reynolds.
“She’d come on my show, and if there was a tinge of risque humour in one of our sketches, she’d roll with it and make it even funnier and add a little wink to show that she was thinking of something sexy,” adds Carol Burnett, who welcomed White to “The Carol Burnett Show” on numerous occasions. “She’s not a stand-up. She’s not a jokester. It’s the way she can twist a line to get a laugh.”
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In addition, Sandra Bullock describes White as “a loving, decent, optimistic, inclusive, hilarious human being,” while William Shatner states, “She projects this sweetness, positivity and wholesomeness — and it’s not an act. I love her from a distance, admire her and hope one day I can be like her.”