Inside The Life Of This Actress Who Was Famous For Her Role In An 80s Movie Featuring Tom Hanks

Oct 27, 2023

Elizabeth Perkins had just debuted in her first film when her co-star Rob Lowe noted that she was “born under a lucky star.” The actress, who always remains grateful for everything, told the Guardian, “That’s how I feel. I think I was 24 years old, and I’ve always held on to that.”

Perkins had barely left college for three years when she landed her first role in “About Last Night.” She claims the movie, which starred Lowe, Demi Moore, and Jim Belushi, “set me on my way. I know a lot of really talented actors who never had that kind of break, and I was just incredibly lucky to be there and be able to pull that off.”

It hasn’t just been luck that has pushed Perkins to the peak of her career. She is talented and hardworking, and very importantly, she takes on roles that she enjoys. In a 2021 interview, the mom of four revealed that she doesn’t like to work with “divas.” 

Perkins was also cautious about the relationships she cultivated. Although she typically gets along well with everyone, finding romance was more challenging for her. This was especially true as she was in LA, which she told the Gainesville Sun in 2005 was “probably one of the loneliest places to be raising a child alone.”

Perkins would later meet and marry cinematographer Julio Macat, with whom she shares a sizable family. The actress previously married and divorced actor Terry Kinney and has a daughter, Hannah Jo Phillips, from a previous relationship. She became a stepmom to Macat’s three boys, Maximillian, Alexander, and Andreas, when they married. 

Perkins was used to having a big family as her mom remarried a man with eight children after she divorced Perkins’ dad. 

The star said of the situation, “When my sisters and I look back on that, we’re like: ‘Wow, what were you thinking?’ Like: ‘Oh, I met this wonderful guy. He has eight children.’

However, the experience prepared her for when she married a man with three kids. Being the mother of four children meant that Perkins got used to having the kids around, so she romanticized the idea of them coming home when they left. However, she soon shelved the fantasy after her experience.

“Within a week there’s dirty dishes everywhere, there’s wet towels on the floor, they’ve eaten all the food,” she shared. “After a couple of weeks, you’re like: ‘Will they ever leave?’”

The situation was understandably frustrating for “The Flintstones” actress, who claims to be a “neat freak.” Her exasperation eerily mirrors her character in “The Moodys,” where she played the cantankerous mom of three adult kids who returned home for the holidays. 

Meanwhile, Perkins considered the post-pandemic show an opportunity to make people smile again. However, her dogs didn’t share her sentiments since she was away from home for months. 

“My dogs went through a depression when I left,” she told AARP. 

The beloved actress wanted to be a veterinarian but couldn’t because of her math skills, so she became a rescue and foster mom for dogs instead. 

“If there’s a dog any of my friends finds, it’s like, “We’ll bring him to Elizabeth.” I’ve had many a dog come in and out of my house,” she revealed. 

It wasn’t only the dogs that Perkins wanted to hurry home to. She had been away for three months and couldn’t wait to return to Macat. The couple has been quite expressive about their love, and Perkins frequently posts about their outings and family on Instagram. 

In one of her posts, Macat stood beside one of his sons, who is a budding cinematographer, and guided him behind the camera. 

In another post, she and Macat were at an outdoor lunch and were all smiles as they looked at the camera. 

“This guy. I’m lucky. ❤️,” Perkins captioned the image. 

Perkins is indeed lucky. The 62-year-old has diabetes, and Macat has been supportive. She was diagnosed with latent-onset autoimmune type 1 diabetes at 45. She initially thought it was something else. 

“I was feeling fatigue, headache, blurry vision, excessive thirst, and lost a lot of weight,” she disclosed. 

Her diagnosis showed her sugar level was above 600. Perkins didn’t share the news for a while because she worried about people’s opinions. However, after she opened up, she got help and became healthier. Now, the actress advocates for eating less and cutting the carbs.

The activist has managed to steer clear of controversy throughout her decades-long career. However, she revealed that she has been called a pedophile for a movie scene. The “Avalon” actress was Tom Hanks’ girlfriend in “Big” and shared a love scene with him. Meanwhile, Hanks played a 13-year-old child who found himself in an adult’s body after making a wish. 

Perkins opined that the love scene would not be acceptable today. 

“They wouldn’t have shown that at all. I think we’re in a different time,” she told Page Six. “And, for the record, “I’m totally on board with that.”

Another thing Perkins was on board with and would never forget years later was the kiss she shared with Hanks in “Big.” In an episode of Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen, she revealed that it was her most memorable kiss on screen, and she had a crush on Hanks, but he was unattainable. 

What do you think of Elizabeth Perkins’ disclosures? Do you know anyone with diabetes? Let us know — pass this on to them so that they can be encouraged.