How Ali MacGraw Survived Fame

When Love Story hit theaters in 1970, actress Ali MacGraw became a worldwide sensation. Looking back at fame, Ali has written that it is "like a fire-breathing dragon, ready to eat you alive."

Ali considers herself lucky that she became famous at age 30. "I'd been working since I was 14, like most normal people do," she says. "My parents didn't think much of what I happened into as a career. I think that they thought it was shockingly shallow, which is silly, but you know it just happened to me. And so I think I had a head on my shoulders thanks to my parents. And I was old enough."

Ali says the culture for young people breaking into Hollywood today is also very different than what she experienced. "Most of these kids ... get hit with that level of fame and money and access and toys and constant shallow praising," she says. "Now it's worse than ever for these kids because of these paparazzi and their access. I mean, in the old days, there were several very well-known ones, who probably were annoying, but you could say, 'Okay, I'll stand here for a minute, and then could I have my day?' And they would say, 'Surely, thank you.'"

In the video above, Ali reflects on whether she misses the spotlight and how she strives to embrace the present.

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