Angelica Huston

Dec 24, 2004

Should I be lusting after Angelica Huston, a woman that’s almost twice my age? I don’t know if it’s a holdover from when she used to glide across the room as Morticia Addams but she is wicked sexy. Plus now that she is an intimate part of the Wes Anderson oeuvre it makes her even sexier. She has a serious lock on the loving ice queen in films which she continues as the estranged wife of Bill Murray’s lead character in The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou.

Check out the website for The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou

Daniel Robert Epstein: What is your favorite moment from working with Bill Murray?

Angelica Huston: It’s my theory that 90 percent of acting is the other actor. Every moment with Bill is great. I really like working with him. He’s one of those actors who raises the stakes. He’s fast on his feet and that might come from his comedy history. He’s sharp, insolent, melancholic and completely charming. I have a huge crush on him.

DRE:

Did you improvise with Bill at all?

AH:

With Wes we don’t go off script so there is no improv. Part of the beauty of working with Wes is that since it’s a very subtle process it looks like improv. When you hit the little things right it makes the whole picture.

DRE:

Is there any room in a Wes Anderson film for input from the actors on their characters?

AH:

Oh absolutely. He involves the actors in a very detailed way. What they contribute is a matter of working together on it. Although there isn’t a lot of discussion, it’s just achieved.

DRE:

Did you have a script before you agreed to do the film?

AH:

I not only had a script but I had a very detailed shot list. Also Wes draws out all the scenes so I had a very good idea of how the film would look.

DRE:

You’ve worked with a number of auteur directors including your father and many call Wes an auteur. Have you noticed any similarities between them?

AH:

I see that these directors don’t really consort. The great directors that I know always stand a little apart from their cast. Wes is a social guy but he takes his time and he’s incredibly well prepared. He also has a very definite idea of what he wants. He doesn’t ever give a line reading but if he’s not getting what he wants you can plan on staying there until he does. I remember doing 20 takes on something that I thought would be a breeze.

Also I don’t think Wes’ films are like anyone else’s. They might reference a lot of films like my father’s Beat the Devil to [Fellini’s] 8 ½ but I don’t know anyone who makes films like Wes.

DRE:

Bill mentioned that the film was very difficult for him. Did you experience that at all?

AH:

I think it was particularly grueling for him because he was out at sea in December wearing a Speedo. It wasn’t so hard for me. I had the luxury of staying in Hennessey’s villa. For me the most grueling part of the whole process was the hair extensions and the contact lenses. I know that sounds factitious but I wasn’t prepared for the endless hair extensions being glued to my head.

DRE:

Are you actually smarter than everyone else, like your character?

AH:

Yes, smarter than all of them put together.

DRE:

How has it been becoming part of the Wes Anderson cult?

AH:

We all like to be recognized and appreciated. I think once you realize you are somebody’s taste you will work all the harder for them. I think at this point I would do anything for Wes.

DRE:

Did your husband [Robert Graham] appear in Life Aquatic?

AH:

Bob was in the party scene at the beginning playing a general. He’s a Mexican sculptor but he came up with the idea of being a Mexican general with Wes. He was very interested in carrying a Glock. He was outraged that he didn’t get a close-up. The next time he should have his own trailer because he leaves his clothes everywhere inside mine.

DRE:

You mentioned that you have a crush on Bill, who else did you have a crush on when you were younger?

AH:

I wasn’t very selective. All four Beatles.

DRE:

Even Ringo?

AH:

Yes even Ringo.

DRE:

You’ve been in a number of dark comedies like The Addams Family, Prizzi’s Honor and now this. Also you are wearing all black today.

AH:

Charcoal grey [laughs].

DRE:

Do those films reflect your sense of humor?

AH:

I guess that’s where my taste runs. I like tongue in cheek humor. It’s more attractive to me than broad humor. When Nic Roeg, Paul Mazursky, Woody Allen and Stephen Frears ask me to work with them, I immediately respond.

DRE:

Do you need much direction on how to play the humor?

AH:

I like good writing so there is nothing else like it to support an actor.

DRE:

Have you started writing your autobiography yet?

AH:

Occasionally I take notes. I tried to keep a diary on Life Aquatic. I succeeded part of the time but it’s hard. A lot of the time when you’re working on a movie you’re tired so you forget stuff.

DRE:

How was working with Terry Zwigoff and Daniel Clowes on Art School Confidential?

AH:

I liked Ghost World a lot so I very much wanted to work with them and I ended up having the best time. I was only on the movie for about a week but I was so pleasantly surprised. Initially I didn’t get the character so I asked to meet the writer and Terry at the Four Seasons in Los Angeles. I felt like I wasn’t explaining myself very well and then they sent me the new pages and I guess I explained myself extremely well because the scenes were very much improved. I had the best time. I think [the star] Max Minghella is really lovely and Terry was a great surprise.

DRE:

Did Daniel Clowes pass you any of his comic books?

AH:

No.

DRE:

What are you doing next?

AH:

I’m going to go back to LA to edit a movie I directed called Riding The Bus With My Sister. I made it for the Hallmark Hall of Fame to air on CBS. It’s about a mentally challenged girl, played by Rosie O’Donnell, who rides the bus all day long in Reading Pennsylvania.

by Daniel Robert Epstein

SG Username: AndersWolleck

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