Blair Underwood Wants to Age Gracefully

What drew you to Utah?

My wife lives here. We got married last year. It’s amazing. I got divorced about three years ago [from talent agent Desiree DaCosta]. It worked out the way it was supposed to work out. We’ve known each other for 43 years, so there’s a long history of friendship. Our families have known each other for a long time. I knew after my divorce I was going to leave Los Angeles just for the cost of living.

What’s your take on aging?

My hope is to age gracefully. I turned 60 this year, and I feel incredible. It’s maintaining that. I have been more involved with my health this year and last year than I ever have before. It’s making sure I’m on top of things — medical tests and checkups. I feel very fortunate. My parents looked very youthful their whole life. My mom had a lot of health battles, dealing with multiple sclerosis. She was in a wheelchair the last 20 years. She passed away in October of 2020. Partially because of that, I’m more cognizant of my health and maintaining my health. My dad is 92 years old, still going strong. There’s some short-term memory issues, but physically he’s doing incredibly well.

Your recent film, the psychological thriller Longlegs, was a big hit. Are you a fan of scary movies?

It’s definitely something I’ve always loved, and I’ve definitely been a fan of the genre for a while and just never got a chance to do it. It used to be a joke that if you’re Black in a horror film, you get killed in the first five minutes. So I had to wait until it was one where I could last for a while. This was my first time doing a horror film.

What scary movies do you love?

I grew up in the ’70s, so it’s really the classics: The Exorcist, The Omen, Poltergeist. I love the ones that don’t really have a lot of special effects. Rosemary’s Baby, which was earlier than The Exorcist — it’s the imagination. It’s the things that make you think. Special effects are nice for a jump scare, but it’s not that scary.

What else scares you?

I’ll tell you what scares me. We were watching the documentary Skywalkers: A Love Story the other night. It is about what they call “rooftoppers.” It is a couple, and they walk on the tallest buildings in the world. That absolutely scared me. I felt my heart race watching that documentary.

Did you have a backup plan if acting hadn’t worked out?

My desire was to be a marine biologist, only because I love dolphins or in order to see the world. I love whales. There was either that or I was going to run away with the circus and be a lion tamer. Do you remember that show Circus of the Stars from back in the ’90s? I was going to be the lion tamer on one of those shows. They flew me to Texas, and I met these lions, went in the cage, met the trainer. They said, “Just check it out; see if you’re not too afraid.” So I did. And then ultimately my shooting schedule didn’t work out when they had to do it, but I was all about it. It was fun just getting in that big circular cage with 10 different lions.