Thandie Newton turned to books when she couldn’t get attention from boys.

The 39-year-old actress insists she wasn’t popular with the opposite sex when she was growing up so spent her spare time reading romantic novels to “make sense” of the feelings she had.

She explained: “I lost myself in reading as a teen. Wasn’t the girl who boys saw themselves being involved with; I lived in a small town and you weren’t going to go out with the black girl.

“So these sweeping stories taught me about love and romance. Reading was the only way I could make sense of the hormones coursing through my body.”

Thandie also admitted she has learned a lot from the dark times in her life.

Discussing why she loves Pema Chodron’s book ‘When Things Fall Apart’, she told Britain’s Elle magazine: “I read this at a difficult time and found it incredibly comforting.

“The moment Chodron realised she had to make a change in her life was when her husband told her he’d been having an affair and was leaving her. The rage she felt was so powerful, it made her see that she needed to temper it with compassion.

“But it was that rage that led her to a huge epiphany of love and that is certainly something I’ve encountered in my life.

“The most painful and difficult times have been the key to wisdom, understanding and deep love.”

Source

AS a Hollywood actress and the face of Olay Total Effects, Thandie Newton knows a thing or two about beauty. But when it comes to her two young daughters, she’s prepared to let them experiment with their own styles.

“I love it if my seven-year-old wants to wear red lipstick to school. That’s fantastic, it’s her self-expression,” Newton told us. “[Make-up] is not about hiding from the world, it’s about creating a stage for yourself wherever you go.”

And whilst Newton will turn 40 next year, cosmetic surgery is far from the forefront of her mind.

“People have to make informed decisions,” she said of surgery, citing 76-year-old actress Maggie Smith as her beauty icon of 2011. “It’s dangerous. Personally it’s not something that I’ve thought about or want to do because I groove on getting older. I don’t mind the grey hair.”

Instead the actress’ beauty regime is surprisingly simple.

“I actually don’t wash my face in the morning. I splash water on my face and then whatever oils my body has produced overnight I put back into my skin… I put Olay Total Effects on, and a bit of rouge, and I’m done.”

Source

Did you know that a cup of fresh juice made from vegetables like carrots and yellow squash can actually give you the same glow as fake tanner? According to actress Thandie Newton it does. The London-born actress (and Olay Total Effects brand ambassador) has loads to say about getting luminous skin the natural way. “I’ve found with my skin, that if I just keep it simple, do less to it, it does a world of good,” says Newton. We sat down with the the mother of two to discuss her makeup bag essentials, beauty icons and the best skincare advice she’s ever received.

What does your skincare routine involve?
Very recently, I found that my skin was kind of getting red and I had these little bumps. I was like, “What is going on?” Through trial and error, I realized I was just messing around with it too much. When I’m in the ocean, my skin just is glowing. Within days, any bumps or tired lines or dryness just disappears. I think there’s something about that wonderful freshness of the ocean air, or fresh air in general. You’re out and about, it’s so good for you. We spend so much time indoors with central heating and so on, it really dries the skin out. So I try to get out as much as possible, and not to fuss around with my skin too much.

What products do you always have in your makeup bag?
My lips get dry, might be because I’ve been applying lip balm forever. It was about a few years ago that that I thought, ‘Oh my God, if I added up how much lip balm goes into my system everyday,’ because you eat it with food and it gets in your mouth, I’m practically spreading it on a piece of bread. I mean, everything we put on our skin should be edible, it really should. Because it’s an organ, it’s like a big mouth that we’re putting stuff on. The one that I always have in my bag is by Neal’s Yard Remedy, and a little rouge, I always have a pot of rouge. Julie Hewitt does great colors. Oh, and under eye concealer by Becca.

What skincare advice did you learn from your mother?
You know, ever since I was little, my mom has used Olay, and I kind of love it because it’s that affordable brand which was a little bit classy when I was a kid. Back then it was called Oil of Olay. It was the product, I look back and think, “One day, when I grow up, I’m going to have my own bottled moisturizer.” So it’s just a nostalgic thing.

Who are your personal beauty icons?
My mom.

Are there any foods you rely on for glowy skin?
I’m a revolutionary juicer now. It changes every single day, it’s partly what’s at the farmer’s market because it needs to be organic. If you want to have a slightly tanned look, you don’t need to use self-tanners or sun bathe. Literally if you eat more yellow and orange vegetables, your skin will have a slightly tanned look.

What’s the one skincare tip you would tell all women?
To think about what’s going inside your body. Your skin is this incredible map that’s telling you what’s going on. And it can look extraordinary if you feed yourself well. It’s not about not eating sugar or not eating wheat, it’s about moderation.

Source

Get Thandie Newton talking about the cares of the world and you won’t get a word in edgeways for 45 minutes. Global injustice; the conflict in Congo; women’s rights, the war on terror: Newton has an opinion about them all.

‘I always had an academic approach that meant I was pretty passive,’ says the Cambridge social anthropology graduate, cross-legged in the dressing room at the newly named Harold Pinter Theatre in London that will be her home for the next few months.

‘But when I played Condoleezza Rice in Oliver Stone’s W, I did a huge amount of research into the Bush administration. In terms of modern politics, I was absolutely plugged in and have been ever since.’

Newton’s political conscience is well served by her current project, Ariel Dorfman’s 1991 thriller Death And The Maiden, in which she plays Paulina, a woman from an unnamed Latin American country.

She believes she has come face-to-face with the man who tortured her several years previously when her husband invites a stranger round for dinner. The ensuing game of cat and mouse is as tense as a whip, Paulina confronting her tormenter in a play that is ultimately as ambiguous as it is terrifying.

How does she think it will fare now, given that it was written in response to Augusto Pinochet’s murderous regime in Chile? After all, torture is no longer the preserve of dictatorships but a tool apparently used across the arena of international politics.

Newton leaps on this. ‘It feels incredibly current,’ she says passionately. ‘We all live in the global village. And silent permission is given by the global community. It’s unacceptable.’

Petite, warm and refreshingly unguarded, at 38, Newton is one of our most recognised actresses, even if her versatile career has yet to quite match her profile. There have been Hollywood blockbusters, indie projects, comedies and serious drama but it hasn’t quite hit the heights that her Bafta award-winning performance as a sexually assaulted woman in 2004’s Oscar-winning Crash promised.

Death And The Maiden marks her stage debut with a part she describes as a ‘pinnacle’ for any actress. Yet, you sense Newton has always had a slightly playful rather than strategic attitude towards her career, taking projects because they sound fun, or because they won’t take her away from her family (she has two daughters with the film-maker Ol Parker) for too long.

‘Because I didn’t train as an actor I never pigeonholed myself, and therefore my attitude is always “why not?” she says. ‘But I find I have to fight quite a lot of the time. With [2007 comedy] Norbit, I had to really convince them I was light-hearted.’

Newton was born to a Zimbabwean mother and English father, and declares her mixed cultural heritage a blessing. ‘I don’t have that herd mentality of “this is my patch and these are my people”,’ she says. ‘I’ve always looked outside because my family have lived in another country.’

She doesn’t like talking about Zimbabwe but it’s clear Africa is very dear to her. And, to be fair, she puts her money where her mouth is. Newton may sound slightly bleeding hearted at times but she has travelled to Mali to campaign for clean water and is on the board of Eve Ensler’s V-Day charity, which helps rehabilitate female victims of violence.

She feels the responsibility of fame keenly. ‘I think the first time I had my picture in a paper, I joined up with ChildLine,’ Newton says.

Ah, yes, the papers. Newton is often in them, invariably beautifully turned out in designer clothes. There is the slight suggestion that this bothers her.

‘To be honest, I’ve been up for jobs where people have thought: “She’s too attractive,”’ she says with a snort. ‘And I haven’t got them. So it’s pleasing when someone like Oliver Stone can see me as an actress rather than someone in Harper’s.’ Yet she also admits to loving it.

‘I used to be a bit of a hermit,’ says Newton. But after Crash, I had to go to all these award ceremonies and needed a new outfit each time.

‘It’s just so much fun. Oh my God, I love dressing up. It’s like decorating a Christmas tree. I love being a woman.’

Source

Thandie Newton’s children didn’t “bat an eyelid” when she came home in a film costume.

The British actress has two young daughters with director and producer Oliver Parker – Ripley, 11 and six-year-old Nico.

Thandie played National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice in 2008 drama W., which was based on the life and presidency of George W. Bush.

Thandie says her daughters weren’t fazed by her on-screen garb.

“They enjoyed W. I was at home one day in full make-up and my wig. They came back from school and didn’t bat an eyelid,” she laughed in an interview with BBC Breakfast.

Thandie has a strong performance background, having trained as a dancer before becoming an actress. The stunning star has revealed her youngest daughter is following in her footsteps.

“My six-year-old is a born entertainer. She entertains us till late into the night,” she revealed.

Thandie is currently appearing on stage in Death and the Maiden. The 38-year-old beauty says she was prepared for the challenge.

“It was about time!” she smiled when asked what prompted her to tackle a stage performance. “I’m ready for it. It takes a maturity. It’s taken this long to step up because it is such a step up. I tell you, it’s the best thing ever. I’m loving it.”

Thandie explained that being on stage in front of a live audience differs greatly to a performance on screen. However, she insists there are perks to both theatre and movies.

“There’s no second take, but there’s the next night and the next night,” she added.

“I’m a perfectionist so it will take me the whole three months. It’s extremely intense.”

Source