May 03, 2019 at 06:42AM
On Wednesday, the same day that Jacki Weaver and Diane Keaton were premiering their new film, Poms, in Los Angeles, Anjelica Huston was quoted making what seemed to be a thinly-veiled dig at the ensemble cheerleading comedy—which follows a group of retired women who get a second go at their favorite pastime. In a wide-ranging conversation with Vulture, the Oscar-winning actress was asked why she agreed to co-star in John Wick 3.
"I'm looking for movies that impress me in some way, that aren't apologetically humble or humiliating like, 'Band of cheerleaders gets back together for one last hurrah,' you know," Huston said, offering the rough plot of Poms as an example. "An old-lady cheerleader movie. I don't like that kind of thing. If I'm going to be an old lady—and I'm sort of touching old lady these days—at least I want to be a special old lady."
The next morning, Weaver told Vanity Fair what she thought about Huston's remarks.
"Didn't she grow up in a castle in Ireland?" the Australian actress cracked, referencing Huston's childhood spent mostly in Ireland, where her father—the filmmaker John Huston—was a citizen. "I can't see her cheerleading," Weaver chuckled. "But then, I grew up in Australia, where there is just no cheerleading culture. I think the most interesting acting happens outside your comfort zone."
Weaver said that she met Huston several years ago at a Hollywood party, and considered her to be "charming." At least, until hearing about this interview. But it isn't really in Weaver's nature to be wounded by stray comments and slink away.
"I just laughed," Weaver said of her response, before adding cheerfully, "And then I said, 'Well, she can go fuck herself.' I was kind of disappointed. I had always been an admirer of Anjelica. And I thought, 'That's a bit mean and petty.'" Weaver can be a bit mean and petty, too, but only when provoked. Giggling, she added: "I would say she must be going through menopause, but she must have had that ages ago."
That said, Weaver thought Huston's references to "old lady" parts were on point. "That's the problem—there's so much ageism in our society," she said. "And a lot of it comes from the ages. People are people. Some of us got here sooner than others. A lot of my close friends are in their thirties. Except for the creakiness in your bones, I don't think there is really that much difference between us when we really get to know each other."
Pointing to her own romantic history as an example, the five-times married actress explained: "My son's father was 30 years older than I. My husband, who I've been with 17 years, is 9 years younger than I. But before that, I had a boyfriend who I lived with for 7 years who was 15 years younger than I. I sometimes meet men in their eighties that I find incredibly attractive, so I'm the opposite of ageist, and I think I've benefited from that."
In fact, Weaver's career in America has defied Hollywood's prevailing M.O. She was in her sixties when she earned her first Oscar nomination, for Animal Kingdom, and has co-starred in a flurry of projects spanning all genres since her second Oscar nomination, for Silver Linings Playbook—including The Disaster Artist,Widows, and Bird Box. Weaver turned down other roles to take Poms, and has a few more projects currently in post-production, including Stage Mother, a film in which her character manages her son's drag club; James Franco's period movie Zeroville; and the forthcoming Perpetual Grace, LTD, a 10-part Epix thriller in which Weaver and Ben Kingsley play con artists who use religion to bilk hundreds of people out of their life savings. So, no, Weaver herself hasn't been sweating ageism.
But then, that could be Weaver's genes. "I am kind of odd-looking," she admitted. "When I was a young actor, I was playing children well into my thirties, because I always had a baby face, and I am quite small. And it was very frustrating. Now I think that I've got more of a choice, now that I'm 71—I'm still being offered roles of women in their late fifties. I count that as payback for having had to play children into my thirties."
Turning back to Huston, Weaver's voice softened with sympathy. "Anjelica sounds sad at the moment, I have to say. I think she must be a bit disappointed or she wouldn't be slagging on people for no reason." After a pause, she added: "including herself, saying she's an 'old lady.'"
Vanity Fair has reached out to Huston's representative for comment.
On Wednesday, the same day that Jacki Weaver and Diane Keaton were premiering their new film, Poms, in Los Angeles, Anjelica Huston was quoted making what seemed to be a thinly-veiled dig at the ensemble cheerleading comedy—which follows a group of retired women who get a second go at their favorite pastime. In a wide-ranging conversation with Vulture, the Oscar-winning actress was asked why she agreed to co-star in John Wick 3.
"I'm looking for movies that impress me in some way, that aren't apologetically humble or humiliating like, 'Band of cheerleaders gets back together for one last hurrah,' you know," Huston said, offering the rough plot of Poms as an example. "An old-lady cheerleader movie. I don't like that kind of thing. If I'm going to be an old lady—and I'm sort of touching old lady these days—at least I want to be a special old lady."
The next morning, Weaver told Vanity Fair what she thought about Huston's remarks.
"Didn't she grow up in a castle in Ireland?" the Australian actress cracked, referencing Huston's childhood spent mostly in Ireland, where her father—the filmmaker John Huston—was a citizen. "I can't see her cheerleading," Weaver chuckled. "But then, I grew up in Australia, where there is just no cheerleading culture. I think the most interesting acting happens outside your comfort zone."
Weaver said that she met Huston several years ago at a Hollywood party, and considered her to be "charming." At least, until hearing about this interview. But it isn't really in Weaver's nature to be wounded by stray comments and slink away.
"I just laughed," Weaver said of her response, before adding cheerfully, "And then I said, 'Well, she can go fuck herself.' I was kind of disappointed. I had always been an admirer of Anjelica. And I thought, 'That's a bit mean and petty.'" Weaver can be a bit mean and petty, too, but only when provoked. Giggling, she added: "I would say she must be going through menopause, but she must have had that ages ago."
That said, Weaver thought Huston's references to "old lady" parts were on point. "That's the problem—there's so much ageism in our society," she said. "And a lot of it comes from the ages. People are people. Some of us got here sooner than others. A lot of my close friends are in their thirties. Except for the creakiness in your bones, I don't think there is really that much difference between us when we really get to know each other."
Pointing to her own romantic history as an example, the five-times married actress explained: "My son's father was 30 years older than I. My husband, who I've been with 17 years, is 9 years younger than I. But before that, I had a boyfriend who I lived with for 7 years who was 15 years younger than I. I sometimes meet men in their eighties that I find incredibly attractive, so I'm the opposite of ageist, and I think I've benefited from that."
In fact, Weaver's career in America has defied Hollywood's prevailing M.O. She was in her sixties when she earned her first Oscar nomination, for Animal Kingdom, and has co-starred in a flurry of projects spanning all genres since her second Oscar nomination, for Silver Linings Playbook—including The Disaster Artist,Widows, and Bird Box. Weaver turned down other roles to take Poms, and has a few more projects currently in post-production, including Stage Mother, a film in which her character manages her son's drag club; James Franco's period movie Zeroville; and the forthcoming Perpetual Grace, LTD, a 10-part Epix thriller in which Weaver and Ben Kingsley play con artists who use religion to bilk hundreds of people out of their life savings. So, no, Weaver herself hasn't been sweating ageism.
But then, that could be Weaver's genes. "I am kind of odd-looking," she admitted. "When I was a young actor, I was playing children well into my thirties, because I always had a baby face, and I am quite small. And it was very frustrating. Now I think that I've got more of a choice, now that I'm 71—I'm still being offered roles of women in their late fifties. I count that as payback for having had to play children into my thirties."
Turning back to Huston, Weaver's voice softened with sympathy. "Anjelica sounds sad at the moment, I have to say. I think she must be a bit disappointed or she wouldn't be slagging on people for no reason." After a pause, she added: "including herself, saying she's an 'old lady.'"
Vanity Fair has reached out to Huston's representative for comment.
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