Julia Louis-Dreyfus packs punch as ‘Thunderbolts’ ‘action hero’

Julia Louis-Dreyfus is not kidding: Middle age is not for the faint of heart.

“This age requires a new way of looking at life,” the 64-year-old says. “It surprises you — I adore having young adult children with their own eye-opening points of view.”

And then there are the crushing moments. “It was horrible to lose my father and sister. Yet I learned to live with the loss and feel stronger for it,” she continues. “Same goes with having walked through cancer. Same goes for my boys growing up and leaving home.

“And through it all, I can carry on and take care of myself and my family. That makes me feel strong.”

She’s actually Marvel Universe strong these days.

The “Seinfeld” and “Veep” funnywoman is avenging in the new film “Thunderbolts*,” in theaters this weekend. It’s based on a Marvel comic about a team of antiheroes who must join forces for a dangerous mission that makes them confront the deepest secrets.

Louis-Dreyfus portrays Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, the CIA director who brings together the members of the Thunderbolts and who has her own agenda. The film also stars returning MCU actors Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan and David Harbour.

“This movie is a real deep dive into Val’s character. There’s a lot to chew on and explore as an anti-villain. You understand why she is the way she is, which doesn’t excuse her. No judgment. But she has a drive,” Louis-Dreyfus says.

A far more Zen Louis-Dreyfus lives in Montecito, California, with her husband, Brad Hall. They have two grown sons, Henry and Charles. Her good life advice:

Punch it up

Louis-Dreyfus went into her first Marvel meeting years ago with a few requests. “I said, ‘I want character depth. And can I please punch someone? A full punch.’ I’m not at liberty to give you more details,” she says. Except, she does let a few tidbits slip. “I do my fair share of a— kicking in this movie. To be honest, she throws one punch, but it’s a really, really good punch,” she shares. “I wish I could have done more, but I did my punch wearing a really cool black leather coat. It felt fantastic to be an action hero at this age.”

Take control

“It was pretty dreamy,” Louis-Dreyfus jokes of her CIA role. “I get to control everyone, meaning I had so much fun.” She says her motives in the movie can be a bit murky. “She certainly takes advantage of the people we think of as underdogs,” she adds. “It was fun for me to play a hypermanipulative person who is four steps ahead of everyone else. … I think they’re constantly surprised by her and she relishes it.”

Say nothing

When she first signed on with Marvel, Louis-Dreyfus says her sons “totally freaked out — they’re huge fans.” But the rub is she can’t disclose plot points to them. “If I say one more thing, someone from Marvel will come,” she jokes. “When you work with these people, you sign a (nondisclosure agreement) every 3½ seconds.”

Green power

Back in the real world, Louis-Dreyfus and Hall have gone green for many years. Their home has a retractable roof to maximize natural light and minimize electricity needs and thermal pads to heat water with sunlight. “If everyone just makes small changes, suddenly you have a different world,” she says.

Wonderful partner

Louis-Dreyfus and Hall met at Northwestern University, and the two comic actors were immediately drawn to each other. They did theater together in Chicago and then joined forces on “Saturday Night Live” from 1982 to ’85. Hall was a writer-performer, and she was a performer. Any marriage advice? “Marry someone who is wonderful,” she says. “That’s what I did.”

Stay healthy

A breast cancer survivor, Louis-Dreyfus says her plan now is everything in moderation. “I enjoy what I love from food to good wine, but I do it in moderation,” she says. Louis-Dreyfus eats small portions and relies on fruits and veggies. She also refuses to sit still and hikes to stay fit.

Not alone

Louis-Dreyfus says she felt “waves of love” from friends, family and even strangers during her cancer battle. “It was a very buoying feeling to have that kind of support from so many people,” she shares. “I didn’t even know at the time how much it meant to me. It was hugely helpful.” Now, Louis-Dreyfus is the first one to lend support to other women fighting cancer. “I was able to raise a lot of money for women who had a mastectomy who needed reconstruction but insurance didn’t cover it,” she says. “The outpouring of support to help women means so much to me personally. It gives me a lot of energy.”

Living gracefully

“We don’t hear enough from older women,” Louis-Dreyfus observes. “They’ve lived full lives and have a lot of knowledge from firsthand experience. Why aren’t we hearing more from them?” To that end, she has her own podcast called “Wiser Than Me,” which features women talking frankly about aging. Stellar guests have included Carol Burnett, Isabella Rossellini, Bonnie Raitt, Nancy Pelosi and Rita Moreno. One of her favorite guests? “Diane von Fürstenberg doesn’t say ‘aging gracefully.’ She calls it living gracefully.’ ”