SHORT TAKES : Anjelica Huston Gains Spotlight

For 17 years Anjelica Huston lived in the limelight of her lover, Jack Nicholson. But now, with Nicholson out of the picture, she is stepping into her own spotlight.

Their erratic relationship came to an end last year when Nicholson had an affair with a former waitress, Rebecca Broussard, who had Nicholson’s baby in April.

Huston, who won an Oscar for her role in “Prizzi’s Honor,” said her recent screen work has mirrored and helped manage her life.

She appeared in “Crimes and Misdemeanors” as a woman rejected by her married lover. When she finished “Enemies, A Love Story,” in which she plays a woman whose husband has a child by another woman, she went home to the harsh reality of Nicholson’s infidelity.

“That very much reflected what was to go on in my life directly after I came back to Los Angeles after the movie. That was pretty close to the bone,” she said.

Huston said she doesn’t know if she is ready to be part of a couple again.

“I’m selfish and opinionated,” she said. “I think I follow less than I used to. It’s hard for me to sit and nod my head at repeated stories anymore.”