Lea Thompson, 64, Says This Is the Skincare Secret That’s ‘Helping to Hold Back the Tides of Time’ (Exclusive)
The 'Back to the Future' star found a routine that works for sensitive skin—and she's glowing
Key Takeaways
- Lea Thompson has partnered with Beverly Hills MD and shares her favorite skincare products.
- She talks about working with her husband, Howard Deutch, and daughters, Madelyn and Zoey.
- The actress and director reflects on the legacy of 'Back to the Future.'
As the leading lady of the Back to the Future franchise, Lea Thompson will forever be an ’80s icon, but at 64, she remains vibrant as ever, and still possesses the charming relatability and good humor that made her a star. The actress and director, who also appeared in ’80s films like Red Dawn, Howard the Duck and Some Kind of Wonderful and later led the TV shows Caroline in the City, Switched at Birth and, most recently, The Chicken Sisters, has just partnered with the skincare brand Beverly Hills MD, and she sat down with Woman’s World to discuss her beauty routine, going behind the camera, working with her family and the legacy of her signature role.
Lea Thompson’s skincare secrets
“I had a friend who recommended Beverly Hills MD, so I’d been using their products before I partnered with them,” Lea Thompson says. “My skin is really sensitive, and it’s been hard for me to find a skincare routine that doesn’t inflame it. I actually hadn’t done a lot of skincare until finding these products.” She continues, “As an actress, it can be scary, because if your skin doesn’t look its best before shooting, it’s a big deal.”
Thompson particularly likes the brand’s Deep Regenerating Stem Cell Moisturizer, Dermal Repair Complex and Age Defy Retinol Body Oil, saying they’ve been “wonderful at helping to hold back the tides of time,” and she incorporates skincare into her simple but effective self-care routine. “My mom always had beautiful skin, and she was big on taking baths, so that’s something I’ve always done. Baths are relaxing and they help you lock in moisture. It’s a really luxurious, loving thing to do for your skin,” she says.
Thompson has also modeled healthy habits for her daughters, Madelyn and Zoey Deutch, both of whom have followed in her footsteps as actresses. “I always made sure they wore sunscreen, drank a lot of water and ate healthy meals,” she says. “It’s weird, when I was growing up, nobody drank water. Looking back, I’m like, ‘What did I drink?’” she laughs.
Keeping it in the family
Thompson recently became a grandma and calls herself “a very big family person.” She met her husband, director Howard Deutch, during the filming of the 1987 John Hughes-penned teen movie Some Kind of Wonderful, and they’ve been married since 1989. “It’s really lovely to work with my family. I did a movie with both of my daughters, The Year of Spectacular Men, in 2017, and I had the best time. My husband has directed both of our daughters, and so have I. We’ve all worked together, and I’m sure that we’ll continue to in the future,” she says.
“It’s also interesting that my husband and I do the same job now,” Thompson says. “We both direct TV and have worked on the same shows, which is really fun. We can commiserate with each other and inspire each other, and after being married for so many years, we have a new way to communicate. We each see where the other is coming from, and we understand the ups and downs while working towards our goals.”
How Lea Thompson made the shift from actress to director
Going behind the scenes has also helped Thompson navigate the sometimes rocky terrain of aging in Hollywood. “Only a small percent of roles in Hollywood go to women over 50, and out of that, the best parts are going to go to the people who have the most awards. A lot of parts are ones I didn’t want to do. I saw that coming, and I thought, ‘How can I stay relevant in this business that I love without having to fight over scraps in the acting world?’ so I started directing with the Hallmark TV movie series Jane Doe. Since I was already the star, they were much more inclined to give that work to me, and I really enjoyed it,” she explains.
Over the past 20 years, the actress has built up a long résumé as a director, and she says, “It’s very easy to think that everybody knows so much more than you do, especially when you’re a woman, but after a while, you become the oldest person in the room, and I realized that in having done this for over 40 years, I already knew a lot.” “When you’re directing, every project is like a brain teaser. It’s also a chance to give back instead of getting bitter because the parts aren’t so good,” she adds. “I like to take younger people under my wing and teach them what I know. As we get older, it’s important to be mentors and to pass on our knowledge. I still love acting, and I feel incredibly lucky to be able to act and direct.”
‘Back to the Future’ memories and ’80s trends
Back to the Future turned 40 last year, and the sci-fi comedy and its sequels are multigenerational favorites. “It’s a gift to have been part of such an iconic movie that’s loved and recognized all over the world,” Lea Thompson says. “It’s interesting, because my character got to be 17, 47 and 77, so people are used to me getting older. It’s hilarious that I’ve been playing the mother of a 17-year-old for 40 years! I really cornered the market there.” “The funny thing about doing that old-age makeup was that I could take it off at the end of the day! Now I use some beautiful skincare,” she quips.
“I miss a small shoulder pad. Shoulder pads were good for your figure,” Thompson says as she looks back at the ’80s. “The huge amount of hairspray we used couldn’t have been good to breathe in every day, that’s for sure!” she says. “I remember when I did Howard the Duck, I used so much Aqua Net that it would come off my hair all white.”
Staying positive with meditation and dog walks
Thompson has always projected positivity onscreen, and to stay joyful day-to-day, she says, “I meditate every night, and I find it to be super helpful to set the stage for a positive way to go to sleep when there’s so much negativity everywhere. It’s important to fight off stress because it doesn’t do anything good for us. I also love having dogs because they force me out to walk. Walking is incredibly good for you.”
“In getting older, the best thing to do is try to be as healthy and happy as possible, and take little steps to take care of your body,” Thompson says. “It’s not just about how you look on the outside, it’s also about what you project and how you feel. It’s a little miracle when you feel good about yourself and you accept yourself. It’s a very powerful thing.”
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