Cher Made the Most Out of Her 2020 — And Inspired Millions Doing So
If there's one thing Cher has always strived to do, it's be her authentic self, no matter what people have to say. Now, as an Emmy-, Grammy- and Oscar-winning international entertainment sensation, it's clear that the beloved "Goddess of Pop" is onto something.
"I'm as honest as anyone in show business," Cher tells Good Housekeeping. "And it gets me into all kinds of trouble ... I have not necessarily been the girl next door. But it seems to have worked out." Chuckling to herself, Cher proudly adds that her unapologetic attitude has even allowed her to "go on stage naked and still have people like me."
The 74-year-old icon's fearless devotion to being herself and standing up for what she believes in has culminated in much more than countless music and acting accolades. Throughout her six-decade-long career, Cher's steadfast approach has also manifested in philanthropic efforts, unexpected projects, and political activism work.
In 2020 alone, her charitable actions have been vast. This past spring, the icon released a Spanish cover of ABBA's "Chiquitita" for United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). Later on in the year, she participated with Kylie Minogue, Robbie Williams, and more artists on a special rendition of "Stop Crying Your Heart Out" for BBC Children in Need. Meanwhile, Cher also partnered with public health expert Dr. Irwin Redlener on establishing The CherCares Pandemic Resource and Response Fund to help raise money for underserved communities in need of coronavirus supplies and testing resources.
While devoting her time to others, Cher also put her beliefs into action working "pretty hard" for President-Elect Joe Biden's campaign.
"Joe is so wonderful. I've known him since 2006. He is such a wonderful person, and he's strong, compassionate, and tough," Cher, who tweaked the lyrics to "Happiness Is Just a Thing Called Joe" and performed the song for a voter registration event in October, claims. "We couldn't have a better man. There's no one that I can think of now that could do the job, the Herculean job, that is in front of him now ... he can work with ashes."
Even more recently, Cher's animal rights advocacy work with global talent agency boss Mark Cowne through their charity, Free the Wild, has caught the attention of millions. This fall, Cher traveled to Pakistan to escort Kavaan, dubbed the world's loneliest elephant, to a new wildlife sanctuary in Cambodia. Though the #FreeKaavan movement is gaining worldwide attention now, Cher has been working on getting the 36-year-old elephant out of the Marghazar Zoo, where conditions were dire, for years.
In fact, Cher is so thrilled about her work with Kavaan, she's willing to call his freedom "one of the biggest pleasures" of her life. "He is having the best time of his life," Cher exclaims about Kaavan, who she is currently with in Cambodia.
Alas, not everything Cher has done in 2020 has been tied to activism or advocacy. For one, Cher signed up for a fun voiceover project for the new animated Universal film Bobbleheads: The Movie. In it, Cher plays the bobblehead version of herself, who serves as a glamorous and glitzy guardian angel for the other bobbles, Kelani (Brenda Song), Ikioi (Karen Fukuhara), Deuce (Khary Payton), and Purrbles (Julian Sands).
Of course, this isn't Cher's first time diving into the children's entertainment space — after all, she did voice her animated self in The New Scooby-Doo Movies: The Secret of Shark Island back in 1972. Even still, lending her voice to this new flick forced Cher to step outside her comfort zone.
"I've wanted to do it my whole life, but nobody ever wanted me to," Cher says about doing animated films. "I don't really have a voice for animation — I have kind of a strange, monotone voice. So, I was a little bit trepidatious. But then when I started to get into it, it was so much fun."
What really drew Cher to the project, though, was the movie's message about embracing uniqueness and finding your own way to be a light in the world.
"My mother [Georgia Holt] was so great about telling me [I was special], because I was different," Cher recalls. "She was very great about supporting me and saying, 'You're special and some day the whole world will know it.' I think people have to know they're special, and they have to be honest with themselves. We have to impart that to kids."
It's a lesson Cher started to understand at an early age. Though Cher is comfortable now living by the message that "being different is a great thing," it wasn't always easy for the "Believe" singer. The acclaimed entertainer dropped out of school at 16 after struggling for years with reading.
Her challenges in the classroom led to eventual triumph when she found her calling to the spotlight and met her late ex-husband, Sonny Bono. "I started off very rough, because I'm very dyslexic," Cher remembers. "And so, I couldn't read. I mean, I think the first book I ever actually read for happiness, Sonny gave me. It was The Saracen Blade. And I read it at my own pace, and I loved it. And then I found out that I loved reading."
From then on, Cher has continued to forge her own path forward — and to say it has paid off is an understatement. Over time, Cher has come to live by a key rule that also happens to be a main takeaway in Bobbleheads: Embrace yourself with love and be proud of who you are. By doing so, you naturally elevate the world around you.
"Cherish being different, and if you have problems or think you can't attain something, or that you'll never be the same as someone you think is better than you, you work on yourself," Cher said. "Do that, and you will have a great life and make other people's lives good, as well."
Now that's an attitude we all can get behind for 2021.
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