Anjelica Huston is opening up about a “very serious moment” she experienced a few years back. In a new interview with People, the Addams Family actor shared that she was diagnosed with cancer shortly after the 2019 premiere of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum. “It’s not something that came lightly,” she said of the diagnosis, choosing to keep the type of cancer private. “It came as a big shock, but it made me conscious of what I shouldn’t do, of places I shouldn’t go. 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.”
“I managed to survive it, and I’m proud of myself,” she continued, sharing that while she still does regular scans, she’s been “in the clear” for four years now. “It’s a fantastic thing. I’m very proud of myself, and I’ve been very lucky. My doctors have been wonderful,” she said. She also shared the lovely celebration she gave herself when she first learned she was cancer-free: “[I] just walked in my garden and smelled the roses and thought how clever I was.”
While she kept her diagnosis private for six years, Huston is sharing her story now in the hopes of helping others to embody the same positive attitude she managed to adopt. “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 said. “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 currently has a lot on her plate, from promoting BritBox’s forthcoming Agatha Christie series Towards Zero (April 16) to getting ready for the future premieres of Ballerina (June 6) and The Christmas Witch Trial Of La Befana, which she’ll star in opposite her brother, Danny. When People asked if the actor had any plans to retire, she was “quick to say ‘no.'”
“I can’t imagine such a thing,” she continued. “I think it would be too much, even for me.”
