Diane Keaton is the poster-woman for one of TikTok’s most beloved aesthetics: coastal grandmother. Now, the actress — whose beachy, loose-fitting but elegant, cream and beige-toned outfits as Erica Barry in the Nancy Meyers movie Something’s Gotta Give have become the gold standard of coastal grandmother attire — is doubling down on the style trend that she embodies so well as the 70-year-old body-switched version of Elizabeth Lail’s 30-year-old writer in Katie Aselton’s Mack & Rita.
She recently learned what coastal grandmother was, having posted about it on her Instagram in April.
“Look, I was not really somebody who was aware of the coastal grandmother situation,” Keaton told The New York Times. “I kind of live my life, not singular, but with a few friends and my family, and also all the interests that I have.”
Keaton, 76, has had more important things on her mind than TikTok trends.
“Being in my 70s, it’s understanding more about how profound love is,” she added. “Instead of being, you know, busy.”
If you’ve never heard of it, the coastal grandmother aesthetic is defined as much by style as by habit: think loosely preppy, earth tones, Eileen Fisher, sun hats, lounging by the ocean, fresh cut flowers, and a leisurely glass of wine in the afternoon — or as Keaton’s character prefers it in Mack & Rita, a wine spritzer with ice cubes. A coastal grandmother lifestyle is characterized by slow living, a laid-back attitude, and being comfortable in your own skin.
Keaton’s character, Rita, in Mack & Rita fits the aesthetic perfectly — not just because of her lose button downs, but because of her unwavering commitment to being herself.
Mack & Rita Co-writers Paul Welsh and Madeline Walter told the Times they were surrounded by fellow 30-somethings who, like Elizabeth Lail’s character, realized they were dreaming of retirement 40-something years too early.
“There was this collective exhaustion of people who were a little burnt out on the idea that you have to strive or have to be competitive,” Walter said. “So what would a wish fulfillment movie look like where someone wishes to be old? It’s not a punishment. It’s nothing to be afraid of.”
Director Katie Aselton felt as much drawn to the youthful side of Mack & Rita as to the laid back, coastal grandmother side.
“It was interesting making this movie, where I had one leg, truly, in with the younger generation,” Aselton said told the Times. “I feel these insecurities. I feel all of the pressures of society. And then I had one leg over with the older ladies being like, ‘Yeah, but if you just let it all go, and be free, release it, own yourself, be you.’”
Aselton told MovieMaker ahead of the film’s release that reuniting with Keaton, who played her mother in 2018’s Book Club, was a dream come true.
“I’m still pinching myself that I got that opportunity because she is just quintessentially, like, the most Diane Keaton you could ever, ever hope for. Like, the Diane Keaton that we all know and have fallen in love with as audiences is exactly who she is,” Aselton said. “For this movie, that’s it, right? It’s all about showing your most true self, your most authentic self. And she just really epitomizes that, like she is unapologetically 100% herself.”
Mack & Rita is now playing in theaters.
Watch our interview with Aselton below:
Main Image: Diane Keaton demonstrating perfect coastal grandmother aesthetic in 2003’s Something’s Gotta Give
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