Returning to play a beloved character 11 years later can be taxing. Just ask Debra Messing.
The actress, who just turned 50, originated the role of Grace Adler on “Will & Grace” in 1996, and recently resumed it in 2017. “It was a little anxiety-provoking, I’m not going to lie,” she told Page Six. “Obviously, I look different.”
Getting back into character after the decade-long hiatus involved a top-down tune-up. “I think what that really meant was my bright red hair, because it had been made darker and more brown when I filmed ‘Dirty Dancing,'” Messing said. “I went back to being a brighter red and really just getting my smile back. I’m known for my smile and especially Grace [is too].”
The single mother is the new face of Colgate Optic White toothpaste with hydrogen peroxide — fitting, as she’s currently on a seriously strict health kick inspired by her 14-year-old son, Roman Walker Zelman.
“When I turned 40 it was time to reevaluate. It was very hard for me to look my son in the face and tell him not to eat candy because there was too much sugar in it and then for me to eat something that was sugary,” she explained. “I cut out sugar and the alcohol and the fried foods and the coffee and the dairy and gluten and grains, and it was a lot at first. It was very difficult.”
Messing insists there are major benefits to cutting out certain food groups. “Pretty rapidly my body got used to it and I really, really started feeling much more energized. I think I actually look better as a result,” she said. “I feel better now than I did 10 years ago.”
When she gets stuck in a Donald Trump or Susan Sarandon-related depression, it’s not junk food that comforts Messing. “I have been looking at puppy videos on Instagram. That is my go-to fix whenever I’m feeling blue — I just go to Instagram and look at dogs and that just lightens me up,” she said with a laugh.