Entertainment Movies Rhea Perlman Learned Magic Tricks for 'Marvelous and the Black Hole' Role: 'It Was Fun' "I would say, becoming a magician after the age of 70, bad idea," the actress tells PEOPLE By Dana Rose Falcone Dana Rose Falcone Dana Rose Falcone is a Staff Writer covering TV at PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE for seven years. Dana Rose's work has previously appeared in Entertainment Weekly, Men's Fitness and Us Weekly. People Editorial Guidelines Published on April 22, 2022 09:41AM EDT Photo: Nanu Segal Rhea Perlman plays an experienced magician in her new movie Marvelous and the Black Hole — but the actress credits movie magic for making her look like a pro. "It was terrifying when she said that you're going to have to actually do this a few tricks," Perlman, 74, tells PEOPLE in this week's issue of Marvelous and the Black Hole writer and director Kate Tsang. "I begged for somebody else's hands to be doing it, but Kate, said, 'No, no, you're learning this. You're doing it.' " For more on Rhea Perlman, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands now, or subscribe here. The four-time Emmy winner trained with Los Angeles-based magician Kayla Drescher for one month in order to nail some basic tricks. "She must have come over at least 40 times in a month," Perlman says. "I would say, becoming a magician after the age of 70, bad idea. That's not my sport. I'd be just as good trying to be a basketball player after the age of 70 and being 5 feet tall. But it was fun." Nanu Segal The mom of three stars as an unexpected role model to troubled teen Sammy, played by newcomer Miya Cech. "She's incredibly smart and incredibly professional," Perlman says of her 15-year-old costar. "She knows what she's doing. She's got her emotions at her fingertips." Off-screen, Perlman spends her free time meditating and doing yoga. RELATED VIDEO: Me And My Grandma's Eva Gutowski & Rhea Perlman Dish On Teaching Rhea To Group Text "I really don't love to work out, but I love the feeling that I get from the endorphins," Perlman says. "I do a lot of yoga all my life. I have the YogaWorks app on my computer and it's great. It's amazing to see what you can do in 30 minutes." She also does "a lot of walking, and I like to dance a lot." Meditating helps soothe Perlman's "anxiety and self-doubt" that occasionally creeps in. She started working with a mindfulness coach about six years ago to learn the technique. Andy Kropa/Invision/AP/Shutterstock "I have to use a couple of meditation techniques, which are basically seeing the thing that's happening, accepting that it's happening, let it happen, and then let it go," she says. "And it always goes." The passing of time helped the Cheers alum feel comfortable watching herself back in Marvelous and the Black Hole. "In general, I don't like watching myself, but given the distance of how long ago we did it, it's fine now," Perlman says of the dramedy she filmed two years ago. Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. While Perlman can't say too much about her upcoming projects, "it means I got work coming up," she says, "and I'm very excited about that." Marvelous and the Black Hole is in theaters now.