Rita Wilson what I know now

THE SINGER AND ACTRESS REFLECTS ON THE CHOICES THAT HAVE LED TO HER FULFILLING SECOND ACT

- BRIANNE TRACY

With a 34-year marriage to Tom Hanks and a career that has spanned five decades, Rita Wilson, 66, has plenty to be thankful for. Born and raised in Hollywood, she got her start in acting at age 16 on The Brady Bunch. After appearing on shows like Three’s Company and Bosom Buddies, where she first met Hanks, also 66, she moved to the big screen in Sleepless in Seattle and That Thing You Do! But once she became a mother, Wilson took a step back from her career to focus on raising sons Chet, 32, and Truman, 27. (She’s also stepmom to Hanks’ s older kids, Colin, 45, and Elizabeth, 40.) “Every morning I get up and I say, ‘Thank you, God. I’m still here,’” she says. “I hope that I have many more years to create."

Today Wilson has shifted her focus to producing— she was instrumental in bringing the movies My Big Fat Greek Wedding and Mamma Mia! to life—as well as singing and songwriting. “I’ve put a limit on taking a certain kind of role: the nurturing mother, wife, sister, friend,” she says. “But I’ve found enormous creative satisfaction through my songwriting." Her latest song is "Til You're Home," a duet with Colombian singer Sebastián Yatra, for Hanks's upcoming film A Man Called Otto (out Jan. 13). Wilson coproduced the movie, which also stars their son Truman. In the song, Wilson explores the universal desire for a safe shelter during difficult times. "Everybody wants to find a home or place that you feel most yourself," she says of the message behind the emotional ballad, which made the short list for an Oscar nomination on Dec. 21.