Inside the naughty nonagenarian’s chamber of secrets!
ON her hit TV show “Hot in Cleveland,” now in its fifth season, Betty White plays Elka Ostrovsky, an elderly Polish caretaker who leases her home to three has-been entertainment industry veterans and best friends (Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves and Wendie Malick). They find that Cleveland is more welcoming than L.A.— and more important, its residents still consider them glamorous.
At 92 years old, the entertainment icon says she’s having the time of her life playing the sitcom’s sassy yet judgmental landlord. Expect more hilarious farce this season. “Who at this age is lucky enough to be working as much as I am, first of all on a series that I absolutely love with three of the most wonderful gals that ever drew breath…it’s a laugh session every day!”
Betty’s six-decade-long career has seen TV as a medium go through countless transformations, but she says, “I don’t think TV has changed. I think the audience is the one that’s changed.
“Today, the audience has heard every joke. They know every plot. They know where you’re going before you even start. That’s a tough audience to surprise and a tough audience to write for.
“It’s highly competitive now.”
Tough or not, busy Betty shows no signs of slowing down. In recent years, the naughty nonagenarian has starred in the comedy show, “Betty White’s Off Their Rockers,” about a group of senior citizens playing pranks on the younger generation, and written three books, including the best seller, “If You Ask Me.”
The star jokes that she’s still in the business “because people have gotten so used to me they can’t get rid of me! “And not only their children, but their grandchildren, have grown up with me. It’s a legacy – and I appreciate it with all my heart.”
To those who tell Betty she must be tired with all that she’s accomplished, she replies, “I’m not only blessed with good health, but good energy. I can’t get over that at this age, I don’t feel this age. I’m healthy enough to enjoy it.
“I’m the luckiest old broad on two feet, I promise you, and I don’t take it for granted for one single minute.”
