Growing up, Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Garcelle Beauvais says her family “didn’t talk about health.”
“I didn’t grow up with that,” the Coming to America actress tells Yahoo Life. “I wish I had known more about health back then. For me, it’s about bringing awareness — and making it not shameful to share information. We’re all human.”
Now, Beauvais believes knowledge is power. The 56-year-old is working with pharmaceutical company GSK on its THRIVE@50+ campaign, which encourages people over 50 to learn about and receive their shingles vaccination. Beauvais was surprised when she inquired about the vaccine at her pharmacy and was told how important the shingles vaccination was for people in her age group.
“When you hit 50 and over, and your immune system starts to weaken, you can get shingles,” she says. “So why not be proactive and prevent yourself from a lot of pain?”
With aging also comes pressure to appear youthful — especially as a reality star. Thus far, however, she’s avoided plastic surgery.
“I haven’t done anything like that,” she says. “I’m in the mindset of ‘Black don’t crack.’ I’m going to hold on! But are there pressures? Absolutely. You’re seeing yourself on HD cameras, and you see things, but I don’t want to fall into the pressure.”
Instead, she says she’s trying the “non-invasive” approach to tweaking her looks.
“I just did a laser thing for the first time for tightening my face,” she explains. “I’m going to try to go that route. My mom passed away when she was 81, and she looked great — she never did anything … I’m not judging anyone, but that’s my way.”
As Beauvais a mother herself — to sons Oliver, 31, and Jaid and Jax, 15 — and she says she’s tired of the notion that moms have to avoid dressing sexy in order to be deemed “appropriate” for motherhood.
“It’s insane,” she says, joking, “I mean, how do they think they got the children?!”
After all, she says, “if you’re a mom, you’re still a woman.”
“You’re still human,” Beauvais notes. “You still want to attract people, you still want to look your best — and I don’t even think that kids care. It’s other people who put on that stigma.”
Age to her, is, after all, is “just a number.”
“The alternative of not growing old is dying, and I don’t want to do that,” she says. “Who cares what the number is, right? As long as you’re happy and you’re healthy, just enjoy your life.”
She does have one exception to that rule, however: “I won’t date someone under 30 — because that number is not OK,” she laughs.
But the reality star will date someone she’s set up with by Julia Roberts — a fan of the Real Housewives franchise who approached her at an event and said she wants to find Beauvais a boyfriend. Thus far, however, Roberts has not successfully made any matches.
“Unfortunately, George Clooney is taken,” Beauvais jokes. “That would have been amazing. I would be in Lake Cuomo.”
When it comes to bringing a new love interest onto the show, Beauvais admits it’s “tricky.”
“My first season I was dating someone, and it’s hard because that person is scrutinized. It’s tricky to find someone that’s willing to be on TV — and you just hope that they don’t have skeletons that are going to come out. I’m finding it a little bit challenging. And I also feel like I haven’t met the person that I want to bring on the show.”
As the first Black woman on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, she spoke about the “pressure” to “show up a certain way” on the Bravo series.
“I really wanted to stay true to me, and I think that I have,” she says. “Race is not something that I want to talk about all the time — I want to kiki like everybody else, and just be silly. But sometimes people say things that are inappropriate, or they are not aware, and we have to have a conversation. Whenever you have diverse people in a room, there are going to be diverse conversations. I don’t want to stand on a soap box about that, but if someone says something to me that doesn’t sit well with me, I have to address it.”
Beauvais says she’s unapologetic about standing up for herself, even though learning to stay true to her own boundaries is still a journey. “I’m learning boundaries when it comes to things like, ‘No, you can’t come over now,’ or, ‘No, it’s not a good time for me to do what you’re asking.’ Standing up for myself on the show is something I can do, for the most part.”
As Beauvais approaches her new decade, she says she would “like to find her person” and go for “long walks on the beach.” Until then, however, she wants to “keep thriving.”
“I really feel like I’m blessed, and get to do so many different things,” she says. “That’s what keeps me happy and thriving, and being able to use my platform for good.”
