Julianne Moore thinks it is a "privilege" to age.

Julianne Moore for InStyle (c)

Julianne Moore for InStyle (c)

The 56-year-old actress hates being referred to as "ageing" now that she's older, because she insists everyone is constantly ageing, and thinks trying to deny the ageing process will only "end in disaster".

She said: "I mean, let's not talk about this idea of, 'Oh no! I'm going to be 40!' You could be dead. So enjoy it. It's a privilege to age! Even in scripts, they'll refer to a character as 'ageing.' Well ... everyone is ageing. In literature and in movies, when people try to stop the process, it always ends in disaster. I think it's really important to be where you are."

The 'Boogie Nights' actress adds that growing older has taught her the importance of preparation, and has made her realise she "doesn't know anything" about the world, despite thinking she knew everything when she was younger.

She added: "The older I get, I find, the more I prepare. I thought when I was younger that I was prepared. But [laughs] it pales in comparison to the amount I do now. Maybe being young, you think, 'Well, I know how to do this!' and the older you get, the more you realise that you don't know anything."

Julianne - who has Caleb, 19, and Liv, 15, with her husband and director Bart Freundlich - is "engaged" in her acting career, and doesn't actively try to separate her line of work from her job as a mother.

Speaking to InStyle magazine's October issue, she said: "I don't need them to see me as anything but their mother. It's important for them to know that I love my work, that I'm engaged in it."