With her 90th birthday just around the corner, Betty White is just as feisty as ever.
The beloved actress’ nine-decade milestone will be celebrated in a televised special filled with celebrity guests (set to air on NBC on January 16 at 8 PM), and though Betty has been more than vocal about her long-standing crush on actor Robert Redford, she says he had better not make a surprise appearance at her party.
“No, no, no!” Betty exclaimed to AccessHollywood.com’s Laura Saltman, when asked if she hoped to finally meet the “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” legend at her party, during an interview following the NBC Television Critics Association Winter Session on Friday. “That’s the bargain — I never want to meet him! I just like to admire him from afar.
“It would be such a disappointment if I met him,” she continued. “I’ve taken his name in vain so many times — I would be so embarrassed! He understands.”
While fiercely loyal to Robert, Betty hinted she might have developed feelings for yet another dapper star.
“George Clooney is not chopped liver,” she told Laura with a laugh. “I think [I] should expand [my] horizons a little bit, don’t you?”
All jokes aside, Betty – who boasts 63 years in show business — says she hopes to be remembered not for her illustrious entertainment career, but for her devotion to her feathered and furry friends.
When asked what she hopes her legacy will be, Betty quickly answered, “Animals.”
“The beauty of being in this business — I have to stay in this business to pay for my animal business – [is that] I’m able to kind of further the message [to] not only be kind to animals, but appreciate them and enjoy them,” she told Laura.
In addition to starring on TV Land’s sitcom, “Hot in Cleveland,” Betty will soon executive produce and play host on “Off Their Rockers” – a hidden-camera show featuring elderly people pranking the young.
“Forget everything you ever thought about senior citizens because they have a sense of humor and they have a sense of fun just as much as anybody else,” she said. “It’s just older people getting the jump on unsuspecting young people.”
“Off Their Rockers” premieres on January 16 at 9:30 PM on NBC.
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