AceShowbiz - Joely Richardson started an Instagram account to help dispel negative perceptions of her. Acknowledging that she "can come across as looking really hard," the 57-year-old Hollywood star insisted the perception of her doesn't chime with reality.

The actress, who is perhaps best known for playing Julia McNamara on the drama series "Nip/Tuck", explained, "I got why people think certain things about me. I can come across as looking really hard. A bit 'rarefied air.' But I hope that's not who I am. I started an Instagram at the grand old age of 57. Just me, who I am, just so it's out there with the other stuff."

Joely has already enjoyed significant success during her career, but the actress actually thinks she's now working harder than ever before. She told The Independent, "I find I love to work harder. Maybe it's because it all feels so much more precious, or maybe it's just that thing of getting older. You descend into your own skin. You know your opinion."

The London-born star, who is the daughter of actress Vanessa Redgrave and director Tony Richardson, actually took years to find her voice and to feel comfortable enough to air her real opinions in public. She said, "Growing up, everyone around me had such huge opinions about everything."

"I found that I didn't, and that was a bit scary. I wanted to know things, and how I felt about things," she added. "But it took years. Now, as a much more mature adult, I have an idea. There's something very comforting about that."

Joely also admitted she's learned some important life lessons from her mother. Asked what she's learned from Vanessa, she explained, "Oh, to be forever humble. That you're forever a student, that you've never arrived, that you're always a work in progress."