Olivia Wilde is 31 years old, but her philosophy on aging is wise beyond her years.
The "Tron: Legacy" actress, who has a 1-year-old son with fiancé Jason Sudeikis, recently opened up to Elle magazine about getting older, and she perfectly summed up how to best use different decades in life:
I find that most of the women that I really look up to, both women I know personally and women I admire from afar, are in their forties. So now, my thirties seem like this great opportunity to develop the experience and wisdom that will allow me to have an even greater decade in my forties. Thirties feel like a fertile ground. The twenties are for f------ up, that's what you're supposed to do, and your thirties are for using the knowledge you gained from said f------ up to make something, to put that experience toward something useful. And then I think your forties are an opportunity to enjoy what you've worked for.
At age 27, Wilde divorced her husband of eight years, photographer-filmmaker Tao Ruspoli.
Despite starring on hit Fox show "House M.D." at the time, it wasn't until after her divorce that Wilde says she "felt like I finally started my career."
Since then, the actress has starred in movies such as "Rush" and produced passion projects like "Drinking Buddies." She continued to Elle about leaving her 20s and entering her 30s:
At the end of your twenties, you realize you are inherently flawed, and that's great, and that's what makes you dynamic. For me, personally, it was around 27 when that kind of return to self took place, of living for myself, not living to keep up expectations. You know, I think you go from living for your parents to your peers, maybe back to your parents, maybe to your employer—You go through all these stages of living for other people, and I think at 30 you say, it's my life and I live it for me.
Read Olivia Wilde's full interview with Elle here.
SEE ALSO: Why Amy Schumer still lives in a tiny one-bedroom walk-up apartment in New York City
Join the conversation about this story »
NOW WATCH: The most powerful person in the world at every age