NYT Magazine has short interviews with a bunch of very old people who are still going full steam ahead. Inspiring, and beautifully photographed by Erik Madigan Heck.
Now that you’re 85, how do you see your future?
Edward O. Wilson, naturalist and author, 85: "I haven’t sensed anything, and I don’t think others have sensed yet that’s an obvious deterioration of what I’m doing. When I feel it I’ll stop. What I’ll do then is try to take more time in going back to the field with my butterfly net."
What has surprised you the most about being your age?
Christopher Plummer, actor, 84: "Well, the fact that there were no surprises surprised me. I don’t feel any older now or less flexible than I did when I was 60 or 55. It just goes on."
What do you know now that you didn’t know when you were younger?
R. O. Blechman, illustrator and author, 84: "It’s important to stay with a project and not give up because it doesn’t seem to be breaking for you. Whatever it is. I’m reminded of what a Russian scientist once said: 'Ice forms instantly, but the process of forming the ice is slow and invisible.'"
What has changed the most for you about your work since you’ve hit your 80s?
Frank Gehry, architect, 85: "Buildings take seven years from the time you’re hired until you’re finished. There’s always that pause in my mind now when we get a new project. And then I think about it for a few minutes, and I say: 'Ah, screw it! Full speed ahead.'"
