Angela Bassett on looking ageless at 59: 'What do they expect? For you to be completely broken down?'

With her smooth and even complexion, chiseled bone structure, and fit physique, it’s no wonder Angela Bassett‘s fans have appointed her president of the unofficial “Black Don’t Crack” committee. She is 59 (her 60th birthday is on Aug. 16) and has three decades of experience as an actress and director. Yet people are shocked at how youthful she looks. But for Bassett, age is just a number.

The new cover star for Net-A-Porter’s weekly digital magazine, PorterEdit, gets candid about attention-grabbing headlines that imply she looks good for 59. “I guess it’s a high-class problem to have,” Bassett said. “But you don’t really know what to say when someone says: ‘Oh my God, you look so good.’ What do they expect? For you to be completely broken down?”

To be honest: yes. With the overwhelming pressure in Hollywood to always appear young, and with an anti-aging market that is expected to reach $331.41 billion by 2021, Bassett stands out among celebrities who are over 50, especially when posting sexy swimsuit photos on Instagram like this:

Or, working the red carpet in curve-hugging gowns and jumpsuits.

What certainly helps is having professional hairstylists and makeup artists like Vernon Fran?ois, Lacy Redway, and D’Andre Michael on call, plus using a skin-care line specifically for darker skin tones she created alongside German doctor Barbara Sturm. However, maintaining a balanced diet and exercising consistently help keep Bassett fit. “Diet is 85 percent of the whole thing for me,” she said.

During her interview with PorterEdit, she chowed down on oatmeal made with water (a healthier alternative to whole milk) and added her own sweetener that she kept stashed in her Hermès handbag. The Mission: Impossible — Fallout star revealed she works out with a trainer four to five times a week when home in Los Angeles. Then she makes an effort to hit up the hotel gym when on the road to “do 30 minutes of cardio and lift a couple of weights or something.”

Her healthy lifestyle and uplifting mindset (we are obsessed with the celeb’s positive “Hey Everybody you good?” messages on social media) have paid off and made Bassett an inspiration for loving and living your best life at any age.

To see the full interview with Angela Bassett, read PorterEdit at net-a-porter.com and/or download the Net-A-Porter app for iPhone, iPad and Android.

Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:

• Angela Bassett stuns in sexy swimsuit photo at age 59

• Angela Bassett, Queen of Wakanda, wears $169 dress from African designer

• The natural hairstyles at the ‘Black Panther’ premiere were fit for African royalty

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