Still The Coolest Girl In The Room: Stockard Channing Shows Us All How It's Done At 82

Stockard Channing had heads turning as she made a rare red carpet appearance for a "Practical Magic 2" photo call in London, after reprising her role as Aunt Frances for the sequel of the beloved movie about witches. At 82 years old, she returned to the red carpet for the first time in two years for the premiere the day prior. Channing showed she was one of the celebrities who just gets better with age at the photo call, as she rocked a dark green button up top, while showing some skin by keeping the top buttons unfastened. The "Grease" star paired the top with high-waisted emerald green pants, and channeled her inner Rizzo by accessorizing with a chunky slip chain necklace that added an edgy flair to her ensemble. Not only did her outfit make a statement, but Channing's hair was flowing. She had it blown out with striking blond highlights for the occasion.

Jeff Spicer/Getty

Seeing how stylish she looked it's no wonder that Will Smith fell in love with Channing when they worked on "Six Degrees of Separation" together, but as the years went by, she distanced herself from the Hollywood limelight. In 2019, she moved to England to live a more low-key life. That was following the 2014 death of her long-time partner Daniel Gillham. The former "The West Wing" actor opened up about her new lifestyle in an essay published in The Times a few weeks before the "Practical Magic 2" press tour. Channing wrote she was "happy being a recluse." She also downplayed her own sartorial sensibilities and claimed that all her designer clothing at home was "from the Eighties and Nineties." Part of her wardrobe at home also includes outfits she nabbed from one of her most famous roles.

One of the perks of playing first lady Abbey Bartlet on the hit series "The West Wing" was the wardrobe department. "It was a while ago, I basically live in the present aside from a few articles of clothing that I took with me from the White House at the time," Stockard Channing told the Irish News in July 2017. Perhaps she was not in a hurry to rehash the past, but she hadn't moved on entirely. "She did have wonderful clothes. I don't have a lot of occasions to wear them ... so there are some things in the back of the closet that I keep waiting to wear," Channing added.

The "Where the Heart Is" actor may have swiped a few on-set outfits, but she's also always seemed confident in the 'fits she puts together herself. While doing a photoshoot for Out in March 2011, Channing opted to stick with the clothes she arrived in instead of changing into a provided outfit. "There's really no need for me to change," she said. That type of outspokenness rang through many of her characters, and Channing discussed being mildly typecast in the interview: "I think I play emphatic people."

Of course, her most notable sassy character was playing Rizzo. If the "Grease" reunion the late Olivia Newton-John hoped for ever happens, Channing may have costuming notes. She spoke about initially accepting the role while appearing on the "Lorraine" show in June, and how her character's wardrobe highlighted that she was older than her character was meant to be. "I would have to wear black all the time," Channing lamented. "I said, 'Couldn't I just have a Peter Pan collar?'"