Danny Huston: Undercover Hot Motherfucker

While watching the behind the scenes featurette of my new obsession The Proposition, I was struck with a firm realization: Danny Huston is kinda sexy. It was not him in character as the scraggly haired and bearded homicidal maniac Arthur Burns, but as himself- short curly graying hair pulled back in a little puff ponytail and graying beard with slightly crazy Jack Nicholson eyebrows and madman smile- that made me stop and go "Heeeeey, someone's been keeping a secret!" Hot guys with slightly freakish facial qualities are a plus (see also: Cillian Murphy).
I don't mean to gush like a twelve year old, but I think someone as talented as Danny Huston deserves the kudos, especially since he will never be cast as the hot romantic lead. He is a character actor, hands down. He is the tkind of character actor that regardless of the quality of the film, he will elevate its worth. Cinematic artistry is in his blood, so it's no surprise that he has such a knack for acting.

Obligatory back story:
The Hustons are without question a cinematic dynasty, and I will have done them no justice here.

Most of us are familiar with Angelica Huston. If you're drawing a blank, crawl back under your rock. The younger woman is also his sister. I think he's making fun of the smiling woman.

Angelica is Danny's older half-sister. His half-brother Tony is an Oscar winning screenwriter, and his grandfather Walter Huston is an Oscar winning actor. His father John Huston (1906-1987) was a legendary Hollywood director. Here is a quick list of films he helmed that you've probably at least heard of:

1. The Maltese Falcon 1941- starring Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor and Peter Lorre
2. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre 1948- starring Humphrey Bogart and his father Walter whom won his Oscar for the film
3. The Red Badge of Courage 1951- starring Robert Easton
4. The African Queen 1951- starring Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn
5. Moby Dick 1956- starring Gregory Peck
6. The Misfits 1961- Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe and Montgomery Clift
7. The Dead 1987 - swan song and family affair: adapted by son Tony Huston (won Oscar) and starring daughter Angelica Huston

You get the idea, right?

While I am familiar with many of these films, I'm ashamed to admit I haven't seen any of them.

The Point:
Danny Huston is one of those special older men who does not appear immediately hot to the untrained eye. This would certainly work in one's favor when embarking on an acting career that one actually wants to be worth something. Plus it means he most likely has an actual personality. He keeps his hotness under lock and key in most every role I have seen him in. Of his roles to this point Huston has said, "I seem to play a lot of losers." If most of Danny Huston's characters are losers, he has certainly done a good job of presenting the loser as highly multi-faceted.

1. 21 Grams 2003-

This is the first role I can remember seeing Huston in, and it certainly doesn't fit into the "loser" category, unless dying makes you a loser. His screen time is limited, but he projects a lasting sweetness as Naomi Watts' husband whom is tragically killed along with their two daughters. You understand from his brief time on screen that he was the glue holding together that drugged out whore's life. Sad. The hotness remained deep undercover.

2. Birth 2004- Cuter than Nicole

While technically he's supposed to be the asshole fiancee to Nicole Kidman's tortured widow, this is the role where the hotness sort of flagged me down. If you ignore the fact that neither person is concerned too much with the other's mindset, the sex scene is kind of hot. Ultimately the hotness went back undercover to embark on the most forced union ever.

3. The Proposition 2005-
I will spare yet another discussion of this film. Huston adds to the pantheon of homicidal yet strangely intellectual sociopaths with his delivery of outlaw Arthur Burns. While his quirkiness is inviting, the hotness is on vacation. This is one of those roles that affirms his talent and his ability to be fucking scary. The pointy eyebrows are tragically consumed by his Charles Manson hair and beard.

4. The Constant Gardener 2005-Hands down one of the best horror films I've ever seen. Real life is scary. Huston plays more of a slime ball in this one, and is TOTALLY unsexy. In fact I distinctly remember seeing this film in theaters and thinking what an absolute twat his character was, even disgusting. That's acting, biznatches. Hotness M.I.A.

5. Marie Antoinette 2006-
Hey, if emperors are losers, sign me up. Huston played Antoinette's older brother and eventual emperor of the Hungarian-Austrian empire. He has like, two scenes, which is very unfortunate because he added an interesting dynamic, and it would have been nice to see the two siblings interact more. He wore the frocks with dignity and should have been given more opportunity to flaunt it. Hotness suppressed. On a side note, Marianne Faithful plays their mother, and lord have mercy has she aged.

6. Children of Men 2006- You simply cannot be hotter than Clive Owen. Tough gig.

This is most certainly one of my favorite films of all time. It amazes me every time I watch it. Clive Owen owns, Michael Cain is awesome, and even Julianne Moore proves she must have been drugged repeatedly to make The Forgotten and NExt. Huston has one scene as Owen's snooty cousin, but his character seems interesting. He somehow managed to convince the British gov't that Art needs to be salvaged from all over the world, which is awesome, and he basically gets to live with it all. His character is a bit too high class and tightly wound. You can almost feel the uneasiness in the air, and are for a moment concerned he's going to turn on Owen, but he comes through like family should. Hotness muted by silver spoon etiquette.


Talent magnifies hotness. I hope one day a director will fully utilize Danny Huston, but it's hard to complain about the career of a good character actor. With smaller roles comes more time to work. He's so far averaging 2-3 films a year. No complaints at all. Recently he popped up in The Number 23 and The Kingdom. Um, I'll have to respectfully decline until a later date, but I am certain his performances will hold up. Soon he will prove his worth to me in the ultimate test, a role as a vampire. The two people who read my previous post "Lamenting the Loss of Interesting Vampires in Film" will remember my apprehension toward upcoming vamp flick 30 Days of Night. Huston is apparently the head vampire. SOLD. Enough to check out the flick in a semi-intoxicated state at least. I haven't scene a vamp flick on a big screen in many years, I suppose I should just give it a go. I can always lick my wounds later with a viewing of the new release of Bram Stoker's Dracula. I'm not too thrilled with the appearances of the vampires from the stills I've seen, but personality and wit can make up for alot. Alot...

Regardless of the crap outcome, Danny Huston will still remain an undercover hot motherfucker. Spread the word. This man clearly likes a good martini and a blunt.