There are only two Marions in my book.
The first is Marion the librarian from "The Music Man."
The second is Marion Ravenwood, the woman who turned Indiana Jones into stammering putty in the "Raiders of the Lost Ark" franchise.
Actress Karen Allen is a petite powerhouse who still knows how to knock the fedora off Harrison Ford's head.
"My Marion knew how to make an entrance!" Allen says. "In 'Raiders of the Lost Ark,' you meet me when I'm running a bar in Nepal and drinking the men under the table. This man who wronged me when I was 16 comes into the bar and I punch him in the jaw. Hard.
"It was delightful," says the soft-spoken Allen who is as upfront as ever as she nears her 60th birthday.
Calling from her home outside of New York City where she runs her own specialty clothing business, Allen is not only brimming with energy, but also looks decades younger than what some birth certificate claims.
Here's the twist – literally:
"If anything, what held up is thanks to the fact that I'm an old yogi from way back. I started practicing yoga at age 17 and never stopped," she says.
"I still need to wake up in the morning and do something physical," she says. "If I don't put in at least an hour of something that makes me sweat then I'm not happy and I don't feel right.
"I run. I ski. I do yoga. I think those are the real beauty secrets as we age. Just move, move, move," she advises.
KEEP THAT KNIFE AWAY
Allen actually reprised her role as Marion in 2008's revival of Indiana Jones and she tells Style Goes Strong that another sequel is in the works with Harrison Ford – but more on that in a moment.
Even though big budget sequels loom, she won't go under the knife to turn back the clock.
"I'm a wuss," she insists. "I'll never be someone who gets into the plastic surgery aspect of trying to maintain. It's just not my thing. If I get a paper-cut, I'm calling someone for sympathy. I can't imagine volunteering to let someone cut my face.
"I'd much rather let my face age the way it will age and call it a day," she says.
At the same time, Allen the actor knows all about maintaining. " I try to take as good a care of myself as I can and I think I would do that whether I was an actor or not – although being seen on a huge movie screen is good motivation."
She says her skin care regime cost pennies. "I've always just used Witch Hazel," she says. "I try to keep everything moisturized. That's about it. I'm not really a fussy type who buys all these expensive beauty products. I try to do as little as possible."
Yes, she even will get out in the sun. "I love being in the sun, so I try to get away with it for 15 minutes here and there."
A HOT CAREER
These days Allen stars in the drama "White Irish Drinkers," director John Grey's story of 1975 Brooklyn and two teenager brothers who live with their abusive father and well-meaning mother. The brothers delve into petty crime as a way to get out.
"My character Margaret, the mother, is just heartbreakingly rich. She's desperately trying to protect, defend, support and figure out her sons. I thought of this mother as a woman from my mother's generation," Allen says.
There are also persistent rumors that she will go back to Indiana…Jones, that is. "There are definitely rumors of another Indie movie," she confirms. "We have an interesting starting point now with Indie and Marion married with a grown son. What is married life like for them? I think a script is being written. But until they have a script where everyone is in agreement – George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, Harrison Ford – it won't be done," she reveals.
HER OWN CLOTHING BUSINESS
In the meantime, Allen has gotten out her knitting needles in a major way. She has a store and a clothing line that can be found at karenallenfiberarts.com. "I've been knitting my entire life and love hand made clothing," she says.
"I work in an old barn studio where I have eight Japanese knitting machines. I create very fine Italian and Scottish cashmere sweaters, hats and unique scarves. I also carry about 100 designers that can provide unusual things in terms of the fact that they're made in a very special way with wonderful fibers and different approaches," she says.
Allen says that this really is her baby. "It's an awful lot of fun for me and also balances out my life," she says. "Working in film and theater is a very collaborate process. A sweater is something I can make on my own."
She has been packing her yarn and taking it on the road.
"I've been traveling a lot just came back Australia. My son is a chef and we're about to go check out the food in Denmark together," she says. "He's expanding his culinary training. I'm going to see the sights.
"Having adventures is what keeps you young," she says.
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