Hollywood's wild child -'I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M 50!'

From Cape Fear to Yellow jackets, Juliette's a star-studded survivor

As the it-girl of Hollywood in the 1990s, Juliette Lewis has her fair share of stories to tell- not all of them reflecting well on her past choices.

Take, for example, the lead-up to her role in the 1991 movie Cape Fear. The actress was 18 and had been chosen to play Nick Nolte and Jessica Lange's daughter in the hit thriller.

The two A-listers wanted to take young, brash Juliette to an amusement park to develop a feeling of family before the cameras began rolling, but instead of jumping at the chance, she declined.

"Now, I'm like you [expletive]!" laughs Juliette. "Why did you miss an opportunity to hang out with Nick Nolte and Jessica Lange? You teenage know-it-all!"

Juliette has certainly had an unconventional ride through life, becoming a huge star while still a teen, before turning her back on the big screen to front a rock band and then making her acting comeback recently in the critically acclaimed TV drama Yellowjackets.

In June this year, believe it or not, that little Hollywood upstart turns 50.

"The five-oh," she sighs. "I have vanity like everyone else. You see your face changing. When my face is set, it looks like I'm frowning, which is quite sad because I'm not!"

But there are, she acknowledges, also upsides.