Becoming a grandmother has changed Michelle Pfeiffer’s approach to acting.
Pfeiffer, 67, revealed the news during Monday’s episode of the “SmartLess” podcast. The “Scarface” star opened up about how she enjoys acting now more than ever after the big life change.
“I don’t have time nor the desire to go that deep for that long and not be present,” she told hosts Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnett. “I realize I have a finite amount of time left and – I might announce on this show – that I became a grandmother last year.”
“I’ve been very quiet about it, and it is – it’s heaven,” Pfeiffer said. “It’s ridiculous. And if I had known that I was going to be a grandmother, I wouldn’t have taken on so much work, but I’ve enjoyed everything, and I’m really grateful. I’ve loved – I love each of these projects. And so the weird thing is sort of giving up that angst about the process has freed me up, and I feel in some ways has made me better.”
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Before making her big announcement, Pfeiffer revealed she’s been “more relaxed” in her approach to her roles as she juggles multiple projects. The actress is starring in Amazon’s holiday movie, “Oh. What. Fun,” along with the upcoming TV show “Margo’s Got Money Troubles.” Pfeiffer is currently filming the “Yellowstone” spinoff “The Madison,” which is set to be released in 2026.
“I’m so grateful. I’m so grateful because I love acting. I’ve never lost – in fact, I probably, enjoy it more now than I ever have because I’m sort of more relaxed with it,” Pfeiffer said.
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While the “Hairspray” star is busier than ever, she’s found a way to make it all work.
“I don’t really have time to be thinking about anything but the task at hand,” she explained.
Pfeiffer noted, “But when I had all these acting jobs coming up, I thought, ‘OK, OK, how are you going to manage this and have a life?’ Because that hasn’t always been easy for me. I’m an all or nothing kind of girl when I approach things. And I always like taking on challenges, and then I get into it, and it’s sort of sink or swim.”
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Pfeiffer is a mom to two kids. She adopted her daughter, Claudia Rose, shortly before her marriage to husband David E. Kelley. The two welcomed their son, John Henry Kelley II, in 1994.
The actress took a five-year hiatus to raise her children, a decision she has said came when she was “in between” roles.
“I was also sort of in this in-between place. I sort of didn’t feel like I was really a leading lady. I wasn’t a grandma yet, but I wasn’t also like an ingenue,” Pfeiffer recalled during a 2023 appearance on “The Skinny Confidential Him & Her” podcast. “I was having babies and relocating the family was – I really underestimated what that meant.”
“It’s challenging no matter where you raise kids,” she added. “I didn’t set out to stop working, or it wasn’t my plan, but I became so difficult in terms of my prerequisites, in terms of, ‘Well, where does it shoot? How long does it shoot? What time of year does it shoot? Can I bring the kids? Is it during the school year?’ And then it was just too difficult to hire me, honestly. And I was OK with that.”
