Courtesy: Scribner PublishingAnjelica Huston's memoir, A Story Lately Told: Coming of Age in Ireland, London and New York, was just released Tuesday.
The generally private actress paints a grim scene when describing her affair with celebrity photographer Bob Richardson (Terry Richardson's father) and touches upon her relationship with Jack Nicholson.
But aside from the ups and downs of her love life, the 62-year-old also opens up about her unusual childhood and growing up in the shadows of her famous father, John Huston.
Here are Huston's top five most surprising stories from her new tell-all.
1. She Attempted Suicide During a Fight With Richardson: During her rollercoaster affair with the 42-year-old married fashion photographer, Huston (who was only 18-years-old at the time) struggled to deal with Richardson's bipolar disorder. According to the book, Richardson told the brunette beauty that she was not a "real woman" because she was not pregnant with his child. He also threw a bottle of tequila at her head and tossed her belongings around their room at the Chelsea Hotel in New York. After a particularly intense altercation, Huston explained how she went into the bathroom and slit her left wrist open with a razor blade. She wrote, "I ran back into the bedroom, blood spurting from the vein, crying to him: ‘Will this make you love me?'" The two then embarked on an ill-fated vacation to Mexico to escape but ended up splitting shortly after.
2. She Left Nicholson Alone, For Now: Huston has so many life experiences that one memoir simply wasn't enough. According to reports, a second volume is set to be released a year from now and is tentatively titled Watch Me. Huston's publisher says that there will be ample Nicholson info in the second book. In A Story Lately Told, Huston touches briefly on her 17-year-union with the actor, saying, "We've had a long and deep friendship, and Jack's somebody that I want in my life. I wouldn't be happy not having him in my life." Le sigh, can these two get back together already?!
3. Marlon Brando Had Eyes For Her: Huston's little black book reads like a who's who of Hollywood. She manages to namedrop some pretty big stars in the memoir but none shock us more than her run-in with Marlon Brando. She details meeting the A-lister at her family estate, St. Clerans in County Galway, Ireland, after being invited by her famous father. "I went up to the Big House one morning and found a tanned, even-featured man in a maroon velour sweatshirt standing on the upstairs landing, talking to Dad, who introduced me to him," she shared. "Marlon smiled and his lips curled. [He] gave me a tortoise shell ring from Tahiti, inlaid with silver and asked me if I'd like to visit him there someday." Huston never followed through with the personal invite.
4. A Lonely Childhood: One might think that growing up in a beautiful countryside home with a loving mother and actor-director father would be as charmed as it gets. But according to Huston, a majority of her early days were spent alone and in front of a mirror. "My best friend was the mirror. I was accused of vanity, but I think children really look into the mirror to see who they are," she explained.
5. No Ghostwriter Here: Unlike many celebrity autobiographies, this book, Huston decided, was best to write her book by herself after attempting to work with a ghostwriter. She wrote, "It became evident to me that if I was going to embark on this idea that I should do it myself. Because really, I don't think anyone can replicate your way of thinking." The only partner Huston had on the book-writing journey was her trusty writing utensil. Huston even credited Paper Mate's Sharpwriter #2 in the acknowledgments second of her book.