Julianne Moore on her freckles: ‘I still don’t like them… I’d prefer not to have them’

Fresh Air Fund

AHHH Julianne Moore’s Tatler cover is freaking me out! It’s a good, striking cover for sure, but wow, EXTREME. Julianne covers the July issue – yes, that’s right – of Tatler to promote her role in The Glorias: A Life on the Road, where she plays Gloria Steinem. Julianne has always been pretty unproblematic, yes? I’m struggling to remember if she’s ever been “canceled” over anything. She’s always been a big feminist, a big liberal, a big supporter of the Democratic Party and a big reproductive rights advocate. Julianne chatted with Tatler about work/life balance, Joe Biden’s grabby hands and freckles. Some highlights:

Having grown up in the ‘70s, when women’s careers were the priority: ‘It wasn’t until I was in my early thirties and I was really unhappy that I realised I hadn’t made my personal life a priority. I realised: “I really want this. I want to be married. I want to have children.” This idea that you can do whatever you want at whatever time, it’s not true in terms of work and it’s not true in terms of having a family.’

Karl Lagerfeld’s passing: ‘Losing Karl was a shock to everybody, because he was one of those people who we all believed would live forever. He was so vital, so present, he did everything himself. Whenever you went to the atelier he was right there, working.’

On her freckles: “I still don’t like them… I’d prefer not to have them, but I do have them and so, so what? It’s okay to have something you don’t love. It’s really alright.”

On the changes in Hollywood in the #MeToo era: “We’ve been inculcated with this idea that men were allowed to do certain things. Even something casual, like a man you didn’t know kissing you hello rather than shaking your hand – we used to tolerate that because we were told: ‘He doesn’t mean anything by it, he’s just being friendly.’”

On Joe Biden’s grabby hands: “My husband and I were discussing just this, and he said, ‘That kind of stuff’s okay at a family party.’ And I said, ‘No, it’s not.’ I remember someone who was that way when I was a kid and I was uncomfortable and I couldn’t say anything. The only person I could say something to was my sister, and she felt the same way. So this sort of discussion is a real change, and it’s important.”

[From Tatler]

Let’s just talk about the Joe Biden thing for a moment, because what she says is so important. When Biden was in our good graces, we would call him “Uncle Joe,” because he was that kind of uncle – the handsy uncle who would give you your first beer and hug you too long. We looked the other way when he was Obama’s VP, but now that he’s on his own and running for president, we need to have these conversations – it’s not okay. It’s not okay for your real uncle to behave that way, and it’s not okay for the presidential nominee to behave that way.

As for her freckles… I LOVE FRECKLES! I only get a smattering of freckles on my nose and cheeks when I’ve been out in the sun and I used to love them. I can’t believe she doesn’t love her freckles. Freckles are beautiful!!

72nd Cannes Film Festival 2019

Cover courtesy of Tatler, additional photos courtesy of WENN.

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18 Responses to “Julianne Moore on her freckles: ‘I still don’t like them… I’d prefer not to have them’”

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  1. truthSF says:

    Same Julianne! I don’t like my freckles, never have. And out of 9 kids my mom has, I was the only one to inherit her freckles! My daughter had some on her nose when she was born, but her melanin kicked in with a swiftness within 2 months to overtake her freckles! Lucky girl, lol!!

  2. Tiffany says:

    I remember a interviewer asked Samuel L Jackson some years ago who his favorite co star has been in his long career, the man did not skip a beat and said it was Julianne.

    I have always liked her and she seems consistently solid. She is also a avid supporter of gun safety regulations.

    And I will always, always hold a place in my heart for her for her fantastic performance in The Gun In Betty Lou’s Handbag.

  3. Eribra says:

    She’s the first celebrity I remember being totally freckled like me- she was on a soap. A cute smattering across your nose and cheeks is way different than being covered in them in any spot the sun has seen. I used to look at covers of her and wish i had 1 photoshopped professionally made up freckle- less pic of myself. Age had taken a lot of my freckle- angst. Still though, I feel the same as her, I’d prefer to not have them but i do, so?

  4. Tchotchke says:

    As someone who actually has a face full of freckles, I feel like the only people who talk about how much they love freckles are those who don’t really have them, save for a few. They’re indicative of your sensitivity to the sun, which means more dermatologist visits, more sunburns and sun damage if you’re not vigilant. Finding makeup that compliments them is tough.

    The most annoying part, for me, is being a grown woman and being told they are “cute.” I know people mean well, but it always feels kind of infantilizing to me.

    • truthSF says:

      @TCHOTCHKE Yes this! All the “omg, your freckles are so cute” made me hate my freckles even more! And now ppl are getting them tattooed on their faces like it’s a freaking fashion statement!! I’m…🤬🤬

      • Lady2Lazy says:

        People are having freckles tattooed on? How ridiculous! I did not know that. All for vanity I guess.

  5. Cindy says:

    I like what she says about her freckles. I’ve always thought that kind of mentality is healthier than telling everyone that everything about their appearance is beautiful. It’s ok to think there’s something ugly about you, or even thinking you’re ugly. As long as you don’t feel less worthy (which can be hard), there’s nothing wrong with that.

    I think it was Helen Mirren who once said something similar about aging, something like “of course 60 year olds are not as attractive as 20 year olds. People get uglier as they age, and that’s fine”. I think that’s a much healthier way to look at it than holding on to this idea we’re all beautiful. Beauty isn’t everything. Not everyone is pretty. And that’s fine.

    That being said – I do think her freckles are lovely!

    • Maria says:

      The inevitable issue of saying “some people are ugly and that’s fine” is that it’s based on the type of beauty meant to be for the male gaze, which a lot of men don’t even find appealing, it’s just ingrained in our society. Young, fecund, slim while curvy, etc.
      Who is defining the beauty standards here?

  6. Bella Bella says:

    I’m so glad she said that about Joe Biden. I really want the mainstream media to begin giving the female candidates the same exposure as the guys. It’s so lopsided, and Elizabeth Warren and Kamala Harris are working hard — especially Warren!

  7. Aenflex says:

    If Biden’s the only candidate that can proliferate enough votes to oust Trump…

  8. Lightpurple says:

    Freckles mean a greater likelihood of certain types of cancers.

    I have freckles on my retinas. They need to be monitored by an ophthalmologist. The annual visits are very expensive and aren’t fully covered by some insurance plans.

  9. tuille says:

    When I was a young teen & my childhood scattering of freckles was fading, I used a sharp eyebrow pencil to give myself a few. Julianne is beautiful, with or without freckles.
    If it comes down to Biden vs. Trump, I’ll go with Biden.

  10. Meg says:

    I told a friend once as a teenager that I was embarrassed about a really big noticeable zit I had on my face that u couldnt miss, and she said, ‘why? U have freckles. Pretty much the same thing.’
    I said no it’s not and she just ignored me.
    Peoples opinions of freckles usually refers to people with just a few not people covered in them like me and others including julianne moore

  11. Carli says:

    I am covered with freckles and I love them, not just on my nose. I feel like they hide imperfections and make me look younger. Now that I discovered I need a yellow based makeup instead of red, I’m good to go in the makeup department. #teamfreckles

  12. sa says:

    I have a lot of freckles and it never even occurred to me that there was anything wrong with freckles until I was a teenager and a woman at a makeup counter tried to sell me foundation to cover them up. But I don’t look like me without my freckles, and even as a teenager, that was important to me. As a kid, my mom would search out dolls for me with red hair and freckles and I don’t know how much that might have contributed to my never seeing anything undesirable about freckles.

  13. JanetFerber says:

    She is a damn beautiful and crazy talented underrated actress. Every damn performance of hers blows me away. Impeccable. Love the freckles!

  14. Savannah says:

    Makes me so sad when women say they don’t love this or that about themselves.
    And it’s even sadder when it’s a grown ass woman.

    I know people will jump in saying: but you can’t love everything and that’s okay, but actually you can. And you should. You can learn to love yourself and the way you look. And you freakin’ should.

    I hope women in general will just get to the point where they look in the mirror and think: “Jesus, this is beautiful!”

    Her freckles is a part of what makes her so unique and beautiful, it’s sad that she doesn’t think so herself. She’s drop dead gorgeous.

    I’m so happy I made a vow to myself that I would love EVERY part of me and that by the time I’m Julianne’s age I won’t look at myself and have stuff I don’t actually love. (I can’t be bothered hating on my own appearance AND living my best life – life is too short! Ant nobody got time for that!)

    I have flaws (or the beauty industry tells me I have flaws) but I’ll be damned if I won’t LOVE the shit out of them. I don’t have TIME for anything else!

  15. Lflips says:

    Julianne,

    I have no idea if your public persona truly matches your authentic self; however, whatever you are projecting is so inspiring to me.