OnlyOnAOL: Why Juliette Lewis totally loves getting older

By: Donna Freydkin

Juliette Lewis plays a buttoned-down detective in the anthology "Secrets and Lies," now in its second season.

She's poker-faced on the show, something that doesn't come naturally to the wildly-expressive Lewis. After all, she's a hellion on stage when she's performing with her band. And she earned an Oscar nomination for playing a terrified daughter in Martin Scorsese's "Cape Fear."

"You won't believe how much effort it takes for me to have no emotions. Removing the musicality from speaking – it's a trip to flatline," says Lewis.

One thing she adores about the show: her character's utterly bland attire.

"Let me explain something. I love that suit. I don't want her to look like any other detective I'd seen. To me I love having a uniform. She disappears. There's no gender in her world. She just wants to be the best detective," says Lewis.

In person, Lewis is passionate, outspoken and demonstrative. She loves Barry's Boot Camp, or going for a run. She eats the bad stuff in moderation. And she stays away from the scalpel or needles.

"I'm really into just aging. Everyone has gone bananas with plumping their faces up. Just stop. We're gonna age. What are you going to do?" she muses.

Sure, says Lewis, "We all have vanity. I have things I like and don't like. But if it's starting to inhibit what I want to express or say emotionally – get away from the mirror."

So many of her peers don't share that view. "And it's really young ladies too. If you're starting now -- good luck to you. That's not what sustains us. Aging is wild, wonderful, and bittersweet. There's so much grace in it. I feel so much more relaxed even two years ago," she says.

Plus, she's much more focused on the internal. "I'm into eternally how you feel. I'm always looking for ways to feel more awake and energized and motivated," says Lewis.

She looks up to folks in her industry, and attended an event honoring Scorsese, where she met one of her icons. "I sat next to Diana Krall last night. She's on another level. I admire her so much," says Lewis.