Helen Hunt refuses to conform to Hollywood’s beauty standards.

The 61-year-old actress used to feel pressure to look a certain way, but her outlook has changed in recent years.

‘It felt impossible not to internalize the way you’re supposed to look. And [there was] a certain amount of misery and shame around not looking exactly that way,’ she said while speaking to Flow Space.

Helen realized that Hollywood’s beauty standards were affecting her self-esteem. However, she now would not allow outside pressures to damage her mental health.

The What Women Want star said: ‘I realized, “This could quietly ruin your whole life.” I made a decision: I’m not playing. Not gonna [let it] take up a lot of space in my mind.’

Helen’s new approach has been heavily influenced by The Only Diet There Is, a book written by the spiritual leader Sondra Ray.

Helen Hunt used to feel pressure to look a certain way, but her outlook has changed in recent years. Speaking to Flow Space, Helen explained: ‘It felt impossible not to internalize the way you’re supposed to look. And [there was] a certain amount of misery and shame around not looking exactly that way.’ Seen in 1983

Helen realized that Hollywood’s beauty standards were affecting her self-esteem. However, she now would not allow outside pressures to damage her mental health. Seen in 2000 at a movie premiere

The What Women Want star said: ‘I realized, “This could quietly ruin your whole life.” I made a decision: I’m not playing. Not gonna [let it] take up a lot of space in my mind.’ Helen’s new approach has been heavily influenced by The Only Diet There Is, a book written by the spiritual leader Sondra Ray. Seen in 1999

The actress explained: ‘What I took from it, is eat what you want and love every bite, period.’

This also meant she has refused Botox and plastic surgery as she prefers to age naturally.

Meanwhile, Helen previously admitted to obsessing about her appearance in the 80s.

The movie star felt under pressure to look a certain way at the time – but a change of attitude has proven to be transformational for her.

She told HuffPost Live: ‘I had my run in the ’80s about being really worried about how I looked. Everybody was more fit, or more thin, and I maxed out on worrying about it.’

Helen’s change in attitude has benefited her mental and physical health.

The actress – who has won a host of accolades during her career, including an Academy Award and four Golden Globes – reflected: ‘I just gave up on worrying about it. When I gave it up, my brain and body got better.

‘I was taking these exercise classes called abs, thighs, and buns and I was like, “I’m going to be dead one day — do I really want to give up an hour in this class?”‘

Helen has an Academy Award, four Emmys, and four Golden Globes under her belt.

She’s known for her roles in film, theater, and television, including the NBC sitcom Mad About You (1992–1999) and the 1997 romantic comedy As Good as It Gets. For her portrayal of Jamie Buchman in Mad About You, Hunt won four Emmys, three Golden Globes, and a Screen Actors Guild Award.

She was seen in March in a new social media photo.

Hunt flashed a beaming smile from Wrigley Field in Chicago, joined by her boyfriend, Big Little Lies actor Jeffrey Nordling.

Hunt charmed audiences as Jamie Buchman from 1992 to 1999, alongside Paul Reiser

Bundled up for the late-winter chill, the Mad About You star, who charmed audiences as Jamie Buchman from 1992 to 1999, made it clear she was ready for baseball season to begin.

‘In just a few hours, the Chicago @cubs will play my @dodgers in Tokyo in the first game of the 2025 season. Let’s go Dodgers,’ she captioned her post. ‘But my goodness, the Cubs are epic and this stadium is a work of art.’

While decades have passed since she played Sarah Jessica Parker‘s free-spirited best friend in Girls Just Want to Have Fun (1985), Helen still carries that unmistakable movie-star glow.

Her playful Instagram update follows a glamorous turn at last month’s Vanity Fair Oscar Party, where she wowed in a chic Christian Siriano gown and held hands with Nordling.

The couple first crossed paths while co-starring in Shooter, a 1988 NBC movie about Vietnam War photographers.

She played Tracey, while he took on the role of Matt Thompson—but romance didn’t seem to spark back then.

At 61, the Oscar-winning actress—who starred alongside Jack Nicholson in 1997’s As Good As It Gets —looked effortlessly radiant as she beamed from Wrigley Field in Chicago alongside her boyfriend, Big Little Lies actor Jeffrey Nordling, in March

Hunt was also seen with her beau and pals in March

The versatile actress showed off her chic style while stepping out in New York City on May 29

Fast forward to May 2022, and fans started speculating when Jeffrey shared a group photo from Dodger Stadium, where he and Helen were hanging out with Camryn Manheim and Billie Jean King.

By October, they made things official with a red carpet debut at the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s 20th Anniversary Gala at the Walt Disney Concert Hall.

Hunt was born on June 15, 1963, in Culver City, California, and began acting as a child, making her television debut in the 1973 series Pioneer Woman.

She gained widespread recognition for her role as Jamie Buchman in Mad About You (1992–1999), earning four Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.

In 1997, Hunt won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance as Carol Connelly in As Good as It Gets, starring opposite Jack Nicholson.

She continued her film success with leading roles in Twister (1996), Pay It Forward (2000), and The Sessions (2012), the latter earning her an Oscar nomination.

Here she is seen trying on cowgirl boots in a double denim look earlier this year

Hunt made her feature film directorial debut with Then She Found Me (2007).

She was married to producer Matthew Carnahan from 2001 to 2017, and they share a daughter, Makena Lei Gordon Carnahan, born in 2004.

In the last five years, Hunt reprised her iconic role as Jamie Buchman in the Mad About You revival, which aired in 2019 on Spectrum Originals.

She has also directed episodes of popular TV shows, including Blindspotting (2021) and The Politician (2020), further establishing herself as a skilled director

Up next, Helen is set to guest star in Hacks Season 3, premiering May 2 on Max.