Laraine Newman revels in being ‘totally immature’ at 73

There is a moment in every life when you finally feel like a success. It might be a raise, a diploma or — on rare occasions — one of the Beatles knowing your name.

For Laraine Newman — one of “Saturday Night Live’s” original Not Ready for Prime Time Players — her first inkling of true stardom happened in the lobby of 30 Rock in 1975.

“Out of my peripheral vision, I see these forms. And they come into focus, and it’s John Lennon and Yoko Ono,” she recalls.

“John comes up and says, ‘Hi Laraine.’ Not ‘Hi.’ But ‘Hi Laraine.’ It was one of those life moments where you know that you’re doing exactly the right thing and you’re in precisely the right place at the right time. Total joy,” she says. “I kept thinking, ‘He knows my name!’ I was screaming inside. Then I called a friend who said, ‘Even though this is happening to you and not me, it’s still the most exciting thing of my entire life.”

At age 73, the woman who played teenager Connie Conehead, valley girl Sherry and public access TV host Christie Christina on “SNL” says she isn’t slowing down. She voices one of the lead characters in the animated “The Sisters Grimm,” based on Michael Buckley’s bestselling book series and airing now on Apple TV+.

It’s about sleuth-solving orphan sisters descended from the Brothers Grimm and their protective grandmother, who joins them in dealing with magical beings from fairy tales and folklore, including a mix of heroes and villains. They also have to figure out what happened to their missing parents.

The L.A. native, author of an audio memoir called “May You Live in Interesting Times,” lives in Westwood, California. She’s the mother of actors Hannah and Spike Einbinder.

Her good life advice:

‘Still totally immature’

Newman says she can’t believe she’s in her 70s. “Yeah, none of us are that age in our heads, which proves youth really is wasted on the young,” she says with a laugh. “No one laments being 20! So why lament being 73? … I think more than ever the perspective on aging has changed. Just because you have this chronological age doesn’t mean you feel like that when you wake up in the morning. I’m still totally immature, and I love that about myself!”

Vocal presence

She loves doing voiceover work, and her roles have included “SpongeBob SquarePants” and “The Fairly OddParents.” She gravitated toward “The Sisters Grimm” because she fell in love with her character. “She inhabits this fantastic world with confidence and command,” Newman explains. “She has to impart that to her grandkids, who don’t even believe magic is real at first. She has to find the restraint to allow them to make their own mistakes, too, which is so hard.”

Staying strong

“I do Pilates and strength training, which makes my body strong,” she says. “My other thing is I never really liked alcohol. It ages people quickly. Sure, I did a lot of other bad things, but for some reason those didn’t age you!”

Spirit of cooperation

Newman began her career as a founding member of the Los Angeles improv comedy group the Groundlings, which over the years has turned out stars including Will Ferrell, Jan Hooks, Lisa Kudrow, Melissa McCarthy, Maya Rudolph and Kristen Wiig. “Everyone was just curious about expanding their abilities, and that’s a wonderful way for people to gather,” she says. She says a spirit of cooperation, not competition, existed within the Groundlings. “It’s nice when everyone is there to support the situation,” she adds. It was Lily Tomlin, who was frequently in the Groundlings audience, who discovered Newman and asked her to come on her NBC special.

A quiet mentor

When she was young, Newman actually studied with famed mime actor and artist Marcel Marceau. “I was 16 and had seen him at Royce Hall at UCLA and was fascinated by this form of humor without words. How could he get laughs without saying anything?” she says. “After the show, I asked Marcel if there was someone in Los Angeles I could study with and ended up studying mime with Marcel in Paris. It was an amazing experience where I learned fencing, acrobatics and ballet.”

A brief history

Newman could spend hours recounting fun, and funny, “SNL” stories. One of her faves is remembering how the show started out small. “In fact, our dressing and wardrobe room was one tiny closet of a room with a bedsheet that separated the women from the men,” she chuckles. “There was a sign just for Danny (Aykroyd) that read: ‘Must Wear Underwear!’ ”

Proud mama

Newman is thrilled with her kids’ successes including Hannah Einbinder’s Emmy-winning role in “Hacks.” “I’m a genuine, proud mom,” she says. “Her instincts and delivery are amazing. I’m thrilled to see her shine.”

Stay in touch

Newman remains in touch with several of her “SNL” friends, including Aykroyd, Jane Curtin and Bill Murray. “The wonderful thing about being this age is you know how important it is to reach out to your friends,” she says. “You want to hear those voices.” She says participating in “SNL’s” 50th anniversary was a joy. “Oh God, it’s so fun to go back and see these wonderful people and spend some time with them,” she says. “We had so much fun together, plus there were new friends. I loved every minute of it.”