Huston’s daddy complex
Legendary director John Huston was a hard-drinking, irascible philanderer and bona fide eccentric—and Anjelica Huston adored him.
Modern men just don’t measure up to Anjelica Huston’s dad, said Rhys Blakely in The Times (U.K.). The actress’s late father, legendary director John Huston, was a hard-drinking, irascible philanderer and bona fide eccentric—and she adored him. “I’ve heard my father described as a Lothario, a drinker, a gambler, a man’s man, more interested in killing big game than in making movies,” Huston says. “He was fascinating.” Growing up in the shadow of a headstrong director, screenwriter, actor, boxer, trophy hunter, and raconteur wasn’t always easy; at times, she admits, her father could be cruel. “Of course; it’s part of being interesting,” she says. “I don’t think I looked at my father and thought—you know—‘You’re ideal.’ I knew he was tricky. Handsome and winsome and tricky.” Her longtime boyfriend, Jack Nicholson, was cut from the same roguish mold, but Huston says that kind of man has gone out of style. “I just don’t see those kinds of guys any more. I don’t think men are as testosterone-heavy as they used to be. Maybe it’s just because I’m older. But I think men are the new women.” She leans forward, confidentially. “That means women might be the new men, and [men] could cook for us, clean for us, look after our babies. It could really work well. I’m up for it.”
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Mountainhead: Jesse Armstrong's tech bro satire sparkles with 'weapons-grade zingers'
The Week Recommends The Succession creator's first feature film lacks the hit TV show's 'dramatic richness' – but makes for a horribly gripping watch
-
Seeing Each Other: Portraits of Artists – a 'riveting' exhibition
The Week Recommends Pallant House exhibition offers fascinating instances of painterly reciprocity
-
Geoff Dyer shares his favourite books on war
The Week Recommends Out of Sheer Rage author chooses works by Martha Gellhorn, Michael Herr and Dexter Filkins