Bette Midler Reflects on Wild Youth in ‘You Only Live Once’
Disclaimer – This article mentions s*xually transmitted diseases.
During the early days of her career, Bette Midler always embraced her youthful exuberance and s*x-positive attitude. The 78-year-old legend said, “You’re only young once. I had so much fun.” She recalled her many boyfriends and memorable encounters with rock icons David Bowie and Mick Jagger.
Midler also talked about the sobering moments that brought her wild ride to an end, like the AIDS epidemic. With a thriving career and a solid marriage, Midler proves that growing up doesn’t mean giving up fun.
When Bette Midler began her career, she was “absolutely” s*x positive. It’s only once in a lifetime that you are young. On Friday, August 2, Midler told The Hollywood Reporter that she had a blast. “I had a lot of boyfriends. We did it all,” she added.
In response to a question about who is the “sexiest famous man” she has ever encountered, Midler replied, “David Bowie, Mick Jagger.” The actress, who dated her late manager Aaron Russo from 1972 to 1979, said her youth “was great fun until it wasn’t.”
Midler said that the AIDS epidemic was one of the major reasons why her wild times suddenly ended. She first appeared on Broadway in 1967’s Fiddler on the Roof. She remembered people leaving, dying, and having breakdowns. “I came to a fork in the road, privately and personally, and I said, ‘This is not going to end well, so let’s just stop.’ So I did.”
In the wake of the spread of the sexually transmitted disease throughout the country, the Hocus Pocus star “began trying to be a little more responsible”. As she grew up, Bette Midler embraced responsibility. Growing up is a natural part of life, and she did it eventually, even though it took her a while.
Getting married and having a daughter drastically changed Midler’s lifestyle, saying, “Nothing tightens up your lifestyle like a child.” In 1984, Midler married Martin von Haselberg, and the couple are still going strong after 40 years together, thanks in part to their sleeping arrangements.
She credits her long-lasting marriage to having separate bedrooms. Her husband snores, which disrupts her once champion-level sleep. Due to her sleep issues, Midler decided to separate bedrooms. “There you go,” she said, “I didn’t want to stay up.”
Two years after Midler and von Haselberg welcomed their only child, Sophie, now 37, she starred in Beaches. Following the success of Hocus Pocus in 1993, she appeared in The First Wives Club in 1996.
Midler has once again become a household name after starring in The Politician from 2019 to 2020 and reprising her role as Winifred Sanderson in Hocus Pocus 2. In The Fabulous Four, she plays Marilyn alongside Susan Sarandon, Megan Mullally, and Sheryl Ralph Lee. When it comes to the box office, Midler is aware female icons are having a moment.
There have been a lot of these movies, such as Book Club and 80 for Brady,” Midler said of the genre. “They’re all women of a certain age. As old-timers, we have been through a lot, are well-known, and kind of loved by the people.”
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