Emilia Fox on what's lovely about turning 50
The actress, who's starred in the crime drama Silent Witness for an impressive 21 years, is as busy with work as ever. She is happily 'sandwiched' between a teenage daughter and ageing parents, yet has more energy than ever and says she's looking forward to the next half of her life.
'Do you know what's lovely about turning 50?' she asks. 'It's seen in a very different way to what it was, and people are really recognising that it's a time when we still want to be busy – we have the choice.
'I think people do see 50 as a significant milestone in life – my goodness, we're lucky if we get to 50 and feel healthy and fit and well. I think 50 is a great time to reflect on what's happened in the first half of your life and what you'd like the second half to look like – I remember really thinking about that on my 50th birthday.
'Turning 50 is not like the closing of a chapter, it's the opening of a new one, which is full of energy and possibility, and I think that's a really positive message.'
Acting is in Fox's blood – she's the daughter of actors Edward Fox and Joanna David, sister of actor Freddie Fox, her uncle is the actor James Fox and her cousins are the actors Jack, Laurence, and Lydia Fox – and she's not letting age dampen her passion for the profession at all.
'Work-wise, it seems to be really busy, and I feel very lucky to be working at this time, because people are celebrating and writing for women of all ages now, and life experience seems to be more interesting to write about and see on screen or on stage. And that seems to be recognised in a different way to, say, my mum's generation – she's an actress, and it's been much harder for her getting older in the business.'
Fox is currently filming the 29th series of Silent Witness 'which I can't quite believe', she admits, co-presents the BBC crime documentaries In the Footsteps of Killers, has just recorded an Audible Crime Scenes series and appeared in the film Legend Has It. She will also start filming a new series of the crime TV show Signora Volpe in Rome in the autumn.
'My life is full, and I really love it,' she declares.' I feel busy, and when I'm busy, I feel like I've got more energy. I don't feel like slowing down, I feel very happy, and I have a clarity about being 50 and knowing what I want to do. Actually, being 50 has created more opportunities.'
And Fox, who lives with her 14-year-old daughter Rose and her partner Jonathan Stadlen, is pleased to say that hitting 50 hasn't had any negative health repercussions either – which she credits, in part at least, to her healthy upbringing.
'I was brought up by parents who live very healthily and well, they've never gone to a gym and they've never been on a diet, but they ate well, and they kept very active, so I was brought up with that kind of mentality,' she explains.
'I enjoy eating well, and I do care about exercising. I think as much as feeling physically better with it, I feel mentally better too when I'm exercising and – it's probably just psychological – it makes me feel like I'm fitter to do lots of things work-wise.
'Aches and pains-wise I feel okay, but my dad has terrible knee and neck pain and I look at that and think we're so lucky if we feel fit and healthy. There couldn't be anything more important than that, to have your health. But I wish I could take the pain away from my dad, I really do.'
Fox says that because of her work playing the forensic pathologist Nikki Alexander in Silent Witness, she finds human anatomy 'endlessly fascinating', and admits: 'Working on Silent Witness, you get to see inside the human body, and boy, when you've seen inside a human being, does it make you want to look after your body and try and keep those aches and pains away as much as possible.'
She says she's been very lucky to have had a steady role in Silent Witness for 21 years, because acting is such a 'precarious profession', and she admits: 'Silent Witness was my dream job. I was brought up on the crime genre, reading Agatha Christie and Sherlock Holmes and watching Inspector Morse. I absolutely loved it from childhood, and then being asked to be in Silent Witness was like the dream job come true.'
She loves playing Nikki, of course, and says: 'She's seen me through life's ups and downs, she's been like a friend. She's always been there, and the show has always been a joy to come back to.'
There are similarities between herself and Nikki, she says, not least because they both love their work, are passionate, and will go the extra mile to do their best. But there are clear differences too, and Fox explains: 'When I go home, I'm a mum to Rose, and Nikki doesn't have children, so I can separate my life from my work quite easily, as much as I enjoy being intertwined with Nikki too.'
She's 'very close' to her daughter, she says, explaining fondly: 'We have great chats, whether that's about school life or friends or relationships, and it's really fun seeing that bit of life with her and through her eyes.
'Certainly, when you're in the sandwich years, which I am now, with a teenage daughter and my parents getting older, you're being pulled in one direction, where you're looking to bring up a young woman, but you're also looking at the future and what that holds and whether you're prepared for it.'
That need to prepare for the future now she's in her 50s is the reason Fox is backing a new campaign to get one million more Brits seeking financial advice in their later years. A report for My Pension Expert's One Million More campaign found the majority (58%) of people aged 65 and over have never sought advice about their pension, despite figures showing those that did get advice boosted their retirement income by an average of 8.5%.
'Lots of us, while we turn to expert advice for things like booking a holiday or those kinds of life decisions, we're not seeking expert advice for significant life decisions like planning a financial future,' explains Fox.
'If individuals start saving for their pension now, they can significantly boost their retirement income – and to do that, you've got to seek financial advice from the experts.'
She adds: 'Suddenly, in your 50s, there comes a bit of clarity – you've got all that life experience behind you, and it's never too late to take action and plan for a more secure retirement, whether that's for an income supplement or for planning some of the pleasures to look forward to in the second half of life.'
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