Bernadette Peters Teams with Breyers to Rethink Ice Cream as an Anti-Aging Product (Exclusive)

The Broadway legend, 76, shares her advice for staying youthful in an interview with PEOPLE

Three decades after Bernadette Peters melted over Breyers ice cream for a series of cheeky commercials, the Broadway icon is once again joining forces with the brand.

In a new campaign, Peters, 76, poses with jars of “anti-aging cream” — which is really Breyers CarbSmart vanilla frozen dairy dessert. The playful images are meant to convey that the benefits of feeling younger outweigh those of looking younger, and that ice cream can be part of a long life.

Peters tells PEOPLE she was drawn to the “adorable, tongue-in-cheek” message. And she adds that CarbSmart, which contains 3 to 5 grams of carbs and 60 to 150 calories per serving, is “just a really healthy choice."

Peters reflected on how ice cream might impact longevity. “It's like what you add to your life, all the good things, all the self-care that you do that can help you live a healthier life. Choosing something that is healthier for you while you are having fun, while you can eat it with your friends and your family — that's what's great about it," she says.

As part of the campaign, Breyers conducted a survey that found that 89% of Americans 55 and over “agree enjoying life’s simple pleasures that are good for the soul should be considered part of a holistic anti-aging routine.”

Related: Bernadette Peters' Life in Pictures

Peters says her secrets to staying youthful are “to think positive” and “to be grateful every day for the good things that are in your life and to reach out to your friends and care about people.”

The actress says she revisited her steamy Breyers commercials from the early ‘90s on YouTube and got a kick out of seeing herself “fainting over ice cream.”

“I just remember it was a lot of fun,” she says of the earlier campaign. “It was well written.”

Peters, who’s currently looking forward to her annual Broadway Barks pet adoption event in August, also credits her two dogs with bringing her happiness.

“I have my animals, which really lighten up your every day,” she says. “It could be your cats; it could be your dogs. You're happy to see them. So right away, you start the day off with a good thought."

Work brings her joy, too. She was recently honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2024 Chita Rivera Awards.

Related: Bernadette Peters Says Dogs 'Taught Me About Love' as She Preps for Star-Studded Broadway Barks Event

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“I just feel like I'm a working girl,” says the Broadway legend. “I love that I've been able to do roles that I love. And each role, most of them I've always loved doing and that's why I commit to being there for over a year."

While she says she's partial to her collaborations with Stephen Sondheim, she calls out her latest stage performance, Hello Dolly: "I love that show. It's a beautiful, beautiful show.”

Asked which of her iconic characters she’d share a meal with, Peters says, “Well, if I shared it with Madame Rose [from Gypsy], I know it would be a lot of takeout Chinese food. But it probably would be Desirée [from A Little Night Music] because she's in Sweden and all that food is different and delicious.”

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Read the original article on People.