90s movie pin-up, 55, has barely aged a day as she strips down to tiny bikini 26 years after iconic role
ONE of the biggest movie sex symbols of the nineties turned up the heat as she holidayed in Sardinia, Italy this weekend.
Heather Graham, 55, showed off her ageless figure in a tiny red bikini as she enjoyed a beach day.
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Famed for her roles in such iconic moves as Boogie Nights, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me and The Hangover, Heather made the most of the sizzling summer heatwave.
Turning heads as she strutted her stuff along the golden sands, the blonde beauty cooled off with a dip in the waves.
And the actress looks no different than she did almost three decades ago as the iconic Felicity Shagwell in the Mike Myers spy spoof.
Heather, who also won praise for her turn as Boogie Nights' Roller Girl, was in town to attend the Filming Italy Sardegna Festival, where she is part of the jury in the short film competition.
But before hitting the red carpet, she made sure to soak up some rays and top up her tan.
After plunging into the azure blue waters, she looked like a Bond girl as she emerged from the sea while pulling her blonde tresses back from her face.
Heather then dried off on her lounger before slipping on a pair of pink shorts.
The move star has previously spoken about her conflicting feelings about being cast in a string of sexy roles in the nineties.
'On one hand, it was fun, because I grew up feeling nerdy and like I wasn't the attractive girl at school," she told The Guardian last month.
"I felt flattered; I felt like I was playing a character, like I was pretending to be this attractive actress. Underneath it all, I really felt like this nerdy girl.'
Heather Graham 'doesn't age,' fans exclaim as star looks like a 'smokeshow' in bikinis on Mexico vacation
She then admitted this came with a downside after struggling to break out of this stereotype with casting directors in Hollywood.
'I related to the awkward romantic comedy heroines more than to the glam characters. Sometimes, I felt like I wasn't being seen for my intelligence or other qualities.'
These days, however, she had made peace with being seen as sexy and embraces it.
She told the publication: 'I think there's a beauty that a woman can have as she gets older that's like a powerful, sexy beauty. Like, how do you still feel good and sexy about yourself at any age, and just embrace that?
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"Because it really doesn't matter what other people think – it's how you feel about yourself. If you feel that you're hot, you feel hot. And I do feel hot.'
Last year, Heather wrote, directed and starred in the rom com, Chosen Family.
And earlier this year she appeared in big screen western Gunslingers, which also starred Stephen Dorff and Nicolas Cage.
Heather also has a role in the upcoming miniseries Carrie, which is based on Stephen King's bestselling horror novel.
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Jebelli urges readers to prioritise sustained wellbeing over 'short-term productivity' and recognise the early warning signs of work burnout. He runs through all the stages, which will feel distressingly familiar to anyone who has experienced it: a subtle feeling of dissatisfaction, followed by stress and emotional exhaustion, that quickly leads to cynicism. • How to supercharge your brain — the experts' rules 'Next comes dehumanisation,' he warns, which manifests as an 'emotional hardening' towards your colleagues. You start complaining about everything, which leads to irrational worry and a 'heavy, suffocating feeling of dread'. Your mind stores feelings of guilt, hopelessness and incompetence that you wear 'like a skin'. Then the most alarming sentence: 'Once it sets in, it can take up to three years to recover.' In the case of Jebelli's father, Abolfazl, though, it's probably too late. 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It's a continuing source of anguish for Jebelli, who insists that the sacrifices they have made on their health are 'not in vain, for it taught me the value of rest'. He struggles with a 'debilitating' anxiety disorder', alleviated by embracing the Dutch art of niksen, a verb that literally means 'to nothing'. He doesn't just stare into space. He forest bathes (walks in the woods), goes for long runs, finds solitude in ten-day solo retreats in remote cabins and plays a fair bit of Mario Kart and zombie shooter games. Still, there are several moments when Jebelli's assertions seem more borne of personal preference than actual research. I don't believe that computer games are better for your health than socialising (an 'unhealthy obsession' of the modern world, he believes). Similarly, he conflates scrolling TikTok with watching a TV show on Netflix, which is apparently full of 'complex storylines' and 'moral dilemmas', which overtaxes your brain. I'd be interested in seeing him go head to head with the social psychologist Jonathan Haidt, the author of The Anxious Generation, on this one. 'Here's what's really bad,' Haidt has said. 'iPad time by yourself. It's solitary.' • Read more book reviews and interviews — and see what's top of the Sunday Times Bestsellers List Nor does Jebelli address the gendered nature of rest. Women at work who slack off face far more stigma. In my present co-working space, I have a running joke with my male colleagues — or 'leisure dads' as I've dubbed them — about their hour-long lunch breaks in the park and 11.30am starts after a rock climbing session. But perhaps we could all learn from the leisure dad class. I don't see them suffering from burnout. The revolution has to start somewhere and I think Jebelli's spotlighting of the cognitive benefits is supremely helpful. For all my niggles, The Brain at Rest is inspiring and practical and, I hope, signals a wider change in how we think about work. 'We need to set firm boundaries so that saying 'no' becomes a respected choice, not a sign of weakness, a mark of wisdom, not a failure.' The Brain at Rest: Why Doing Nothing Can Change Your Life by Dr Joseph Jebelli (Torva £20 pp256). To order a copy go to Free UK standard P&P on orders over £25. Special discount available for Times+ members 1. Walk slowly through a forest. This helps to improve our creativity and problem-solving abilities. While you're there, hug a tree, which reduces cortisol and activates your brain's default network. 2. Listen to sad music. Not only does it improve your mood, it's also associated with stronger mind wandering, which can enhance your intelligence, creativity, social empathy and emotional processing. 3. Try to nap for 30 minutes daily. It reduces stress, regenerates damaged brain cells and makes your brain bigger. One study suggests that nappers' brains are 15 cubic centimetres larger.
