Diana Silvers on "Actually Enjoying Taking Care of Yourself"

Actress and model Diana Silvers has plenty of life updates to talk about. The second season of her Netflix series Space Force premieres on February 18, and she recently became a brand ambassador for Clé de Peau Beauté. However, as soon as we start talking about books, everything else on the agenda goes out the window. 

The more we talk, the clearer it becomes Silvers' passion for books isn't just a hobby; it's a core part of her artistic identity. Not only does she turn to books (and movies and music) for comfort, but she believes having a relationship with the broader world is crucial to doing her best work as an actress.

These mediums also play another role in Silvers' life too. For her, they're a form of self-care. Silvers tries to prioritize finding fulfillment outside of her work, which means she spends a lot of time re-watching TV shows and listening to old records. She also takes time to enjoy the little things like getting dressed in a fun outfit or going for a walk in the sun. The goal, she says, is "actually enjoying taking care of yourself,"—which sounds like an admirable objective to me. Ahead, Silvers discusses finding joy outside of her career, her sensitive skin routine, and more. 

How are you? What have you been up to lately?

I'm good. Lately, I've just been walking the dog and reading. I watched No Time to Die over the weekend at home, and I think I'm going to see a couple of movies this weekend. I want to see C'mon, C'mon, the new Mike Mills film. 20th Century Women is one of my favorite movies, so I'm excited. I also want to see Licorice Pizza—I'm so happy for Alana Haim. I can't wait to see her light-up screen. 

I'm usually not interested in watching a movie about a 15-year-old boy's coming of age, but it looks so beautiful.

Almost Famous is my favorite film of all time—like, I have "It's all happening" on my phone case—so there's nothing more exciting than watching a 15-year-old boy's coming of age in the '70s to me. [Laughs]

What are you reading? I saw on Instagram your first book of the year was The Year of Magical Thinking.

Yes, I started reading it in the final week of 2021 because Joan Didion is one of my favorite authors. When she passed away, I was like, I'm going to revisit her work. I avoided The Year of Magical Thinking, thinking I couldn't relate to a book about grief. And then I started reading it—for whatever reason, something drew me to it. I find Joan Didion's writing makes the subject easy to understand and follow. And she talks about this notion that grief doesn't have to center around the actual physical death of someone. It can be the death of a relationship; it can be mourning the loss of a career opportunity. Grief takes on so many different forms.

Over the last few years, we've all become intimately acquainted with grief in a way we might not have been before. 

Yeah, there was that grief on a global scale. And then, on a very small personal scale, I experienced the death of a relationship, and that took a lot out of me. I wasn't allowing myself the compassion to consider I was grieving because I didn't think of it in that way. As I read her book, I was like, OK, everything you were experiencing is normal. You can have compassion for yourself. Joan Didion said, "For once in your life, just let it go." I felt like I kept repeating that mantra as I was finishing the year and entering into this one. I feel like it's night and day: I came out of the night of the past year or two into the day of this year. It was the perfect thing for me to read and I highly recommend it. I hate saying that, but it is so special.

It sounds like reading, in general, isn't just a hobby for you but also a way of taking care of yourself.

Yeah, I would say so. My agents have always told me you have to find abundance outside of your career. How you feel about yourself shouldn't be conditional upon how your career is doing—you have to find happiness outside of those things. As artists, it's important to have a relationship with the world that informs our art. The great thing about reading, listening to music, or watching movies is that you are getting information, and you're processing it. And hopefully, it will change the way you think or inspire you. That's all you can ask for. I'm a curious person and learning is very fulfilling for me. I think that's my form of abundance—whether it's learning a new piece on the cello or learning about grief. 

On the flip side, books and movies can also be a way to find comfort. I've had times when I was watching three movies on repeat because they were so comforting to me.

It's like in Almost Famous when Penny Lane says, "And if you ever feel lonely, just go to the record store and listen to your friends." Movies, books, and music have the power to become our friends. When I moved to New York in college, I listened to The Office every night to fall asleep when I was homesick because it was comforting. When I'm somewhere and want to feel comfortable, I put on my favorite TV show. Whenever I feel discombobulated, I reread The Little Prince, and it grounds me because it's comforting. As artists, our work can become a friend to someone else. I think that's the beautiful thing.

What other media do you like? 

I've been trying to listen to albums from start to finish. I've been getting into the Cocteau Twins. I feel like everyone is revisiting All Things Must Pass by George Harrison because of that Beatles documentary—that was the first thing I listened to this year. Then I listened to Heaven or Las Vegas yesterday and Tommy by The Who today. I like to start my day listening to an album in the morning to get me in the zone.

What else have you been doing lately?

I've been writing a lot, which has been great. My roommate and I are writing a screenplay together, which has been therapeutic and fulfilling. We walk around the neighborhood with the dog and always see things that make us say, "Oh, that reminds me of this thing I want to write in." I've also been trying to drink more water every year. I want to pay more attention to my skin because I was really lazy during the pandemic. I had all this time on my hands, but I was in this very weird mental state.

Sort of in a fog?

I was in a fog, and as I said, it was a weird grieving period. I was like, OK, let's clean the slate, drink water, and put on moisturizer both morning and night. I'm really bad at that, but I'm trying to get better because when I do it, I'm like, Oh wow. 

I've been leaning into making a bigger deal out of small things, like listening to music while I take a shower or taking the time to enjoy getting dressed.

When you feel close to yourself and have self-sourced happiness, everything becomes so much easier. Getting dressed in the morning or taking care of your skin feels easier. It's easier to go outside when you feel grounded. And it's also fun to make a production out of everything! You're actually enjoying taking care of yourself. Rather than it being like, Oh, I have to do this.

What do you like to do for your skin? 

I have sensitive skin, so it changes depending on the weather. It's dry in L.A., so I have to drink so much water to keep everything hydrated. I also get eczema rashes from stress—that's a new development this past year, which sucks. In the morning, I keep everything simple. I wash my face with water, and then I use the Clé de Peau Beauté Hydro-Softening Lotion ($55). I like the Barbara Sturm Anti-Pollution Drops ($50) because L.A. has a lot of pollution. I'll finish with a light moisturizer from La Roche-Posay and an SPF. 

I like to use the True Botanicals Calm Ginger Turmeric Cleansing Balm ($48) at night. If I do a mask, I'll use Clé de Peau Beauté Vitality-Enhancing Eye Mask Supreme ($158). A makeup artist told me to refrigerate my eye masks once, so I do it now, and it feels so good when it goes on. I also like the May Lindstrom Problem Solver Warming Correcting Mask ($100). I find the Barbara Sturm Clarifying Mask ($65) works well if I'm having a breakout. And then, every night before I go to bed, I put on the Clé de Peau Beauté Synactif Neck and Decolletage Cream ($435). People forget that area gets exposed to the sun. I learned that from Nora Ephron's memoir, I Feel Bad About My Neck.

Thanks for the skincare tip, Nora.

It is a great read. Anyway, I also like the Clé de Peau Beauté La Crème ($550). It's like a miracle in a bottle. If I wear makeup, it's a foundation and concealer from Clé de Peau Beauté. That's the only foundation I'll wear when I'm on set because I have such sensitive skin. I don't want to risk trying something new and ruining my skin. Even with just stress, I get hives. I can't take a chance! [Laughs]