It wasn’t until 2012 that Rita Wilson released her first album, but in the past decade, the singer-songwriter, actress, and producer has churned out four more, each one’s accomplishments building upon the last’s. Her fifth, Rita Wilson Now & Forever: Duets, was co-produced by Wilson and the Grammy Award–winning producer Matt Rollings. In it, she sings American classics, many from the 1970s, which was a formative period in her life, alongside Willie Nelson, Keith Urban, Smokey Robinson, Jackson Browne, Leslie Odom Jr., and others. She has also released a new single with Sebastián Yatra, “Til You’re Home,” from the film A Man Called Otto, which Wilson produced and which stars her husband, Tom Hanks. “Til You’re Home” has been placed on the Oscar short list for Best Original Song. Here, she shares her key components to the good life. —Ashley Baker
Bag: I try to avoid carrying a purse whenever I can, but the perfect one would have a designated section for everything—phone, wallet, lipstick, sunglasses. Maybe it lights up inside so you can see what the heck is in there. See Nora Ephron’s essay “I Hate My Purse.”
Bedtime: “Now they got me used to that clean white linen and that fancy French cologne.” Thank you, Joni Mitchell. So clean white linen and that fancy Tom Ford Black Orchid cologne.
Bike: One with a super-comfy gel seat.
Birthday: Surrounded by my husband, friends, my children, and lots of laughs. Plus, that white-chocolate coconut cake from Doan’s Bakery, in the Valley. Or if I’m in New York, pink cake from Amy’s Bread.
Boyfriend/girlfriend: Insightful, honest, intelligent, funny, sporty, music-loving, joyful, and somewhat outrageous.
Breakfast, weekday: What I eat versus what I want to eat are two different things.
Breakfast, weekend: See above.
Car: A 1971 3.5 280SL Mercedes convertible but with airbags, Bluetooth, and a navigation system.
