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I am full on crazy about Anjelica Huston. As an actress, she always delights me with her subtle, elegant performances. There is always something powerful, and kind of witchy about her--I love that. Sometimes it's obvious--Morticia Addams, Miss Eva Ernst (The Witches), Viviane(The Mists of Avalon), at other times it's much more restrained--Elanor Zissou leaps to mind ("I've never seen that species of crab mate before the summer solstice"). She can be intimidating and tough--as Maerose Prizzi, as Lilly Dillon (The Grifters), she can be unsympathetic--as the football obsessed mother in Buffalo '66, the Baronness in "Ever After"; she inspires in her portrayals of historic figures-Calamity Jane, Carrie Catt;and in "The Dead", as Gretta Conroy, she brought my favorite character from Joyce's "The Dubliners" to heartwrenching life.
As a person, I find her inspiring. In her first major screen role-Claudia in "A Walk with Love and Death"--she stank up the screen. Really sucked. The story goes that family friend Sir John Gielgud told her, after seeing the film, "next time you feel like acting, lie down until it passes". Ouch. She stayed out of films for 6 years after that, with her first returnto the screen in an uncredited crowd scene in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest". She stands as a sterling example of learning from mistakes, humility, and perseverance.
2 comments:
Many other actors have similar stories to tell about Gielgud. His specialty was the Freudian slip of the tongue, like for instance saying "You really sucked, I mean, you were really great", and that sort of thing. Charming fellow.
I like me some Angelica, but I've never understood why some find her attractive.
My shallow, surface-oriented way of seeing will no doubt be my undoing.
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