Anjelica Huston had a “very serious moment” in 2019 after she was diagnosed with an undisclosed type of cancer.
“I managed to survive it, and I’m proud of myself,” Huston, 73, said in an interview with People published on Wednesday, April 9, noting that it was “not something that came lightly.”
Huston, who has kept her health battle private for the past six years, revealed that her diagnosis came after she appeared as The Director in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum.
“It came as a big shock, but it made me conscious of what I shouldn’t do, of places I shouldn’t go,” she continued. “One of those places was taking life too seriously. So now when the opportunity arises, I laugh, and I try not to make a big deal out of things.”
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Huston was declared cancer-free four years ago and is officially “in the clear,” thanks to her “wonderful” doctors. The legendary actress explained why she was ready to go public with her health battle.
“Sometimes you feel like you don’t want to talk about it for the obvious reasons, but there’s a lot to be said for talking about it and getting it out there and celebrating the fact that one’s come through,” she added. “Life is tenuous and wonderful. It also gives you the idea that the world is big, and you can somehow match up to it. That you’re ready for whatever happens.”
Huston added that it’s “fantastic” to say she’s cancer-free.
“I’m at the four-year mark, and that means so much to me,” she shared. “I’m very proud of myself, and I’ve been very lucky.”
Despite her diagnosis, the actress has continued to grow her already stacked resume with film and TV roles over the past few years, including Waiting for Anya, The French Dispatch, Star Wars: Visions and Star Wars: The Bad Batch.
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This year, Huston is set to reprise her role as The Director for John Wick Presents: Ballerina. She’s also working on the upcoming film The Christmas Witch Trial of La Befana, which is currently in production.
More recently, Huston starred in BritBox’s miniseries Agatha Christie’s Towards Zero, which is set to be available for streaming later this month. Her character, Lady Tressilian, appeared in bed for most of the series — but that’s not something Huston sees for her future.
“I can’t imagine such a thing,” she told People when asked about retirement. “I think it would be too much, even for me.”
