KEY POINT
Anderson received amfAR’s Award of Courage during its Gala Venezia in Venice.
She recalled being told in 2002 that hepatitis C could leave her with about 10 years to live.
Anderson said she ultimately paid for treatment herself and announced in 2015 that she was free of the virus.
Anderson, 59, addressed the audience at the Hilton Molino Stucky during the amfAR event held alongside the Venice Film Festival. Her appearance centered not on her entertainment career, but on a difficult period that began with her hepatitis C diagnosis more than two decades ago.
Reflecting on the prognosis she received, Anderson said her doctor described the illness as a “death sentence” and told her she probably had around 10 years to live. She explained that the news changed the way she approached major decisions in her life.
The diagnosis carried particular weight because Anderson was raising two young children at the time. She said her concern was less about dying herself and more about what her death could mean for her children, Brandon Thomas and Dylan Jagger, whom she shares with former husband Tommy Lee.
Anderson has previously said she contracted hepatitis C after sharing tattoo needles with Lee. The couple’s experience became part of the personal history behind her account of living with the virus and seeking treatment.
Anderson said the diagnosis affected her outlook and described how it “colored and corrupted” her decisions. She recalled that the experience turned her life “inside out,” illustrating how the medical prognosis extended beyond the illness itself and influenced her family concerns and personal choices.
Treatment also came with a significant financial burden. Anderson said she spent everything she had in her bank account to pay for it.
By 2015, Anderson announced that she was free of hepatitis C. Her remarks in Venice therefore connected the fear surrounding her original diagnosis with the later outcome she experienced after treatment.
The amfAR recognition came during a major week for Anderson in Venice. Taika Waititi presented her with the Award of Courage at the gala.
Waititi is also Anderson’s costar in Place to Be, an upcoming drama directed by Kornél Mundruczó. The film also features Ellen Burstyn, Édgar Ramírez, Lena Waithe, Murray Bartlett and Maika Monroe, and is scheduled to premiere at the festival on Sept. 9.
Anderson’s speech brought a deeply personal chapter of her life into the setting of an international film festival. Her account also highlighted the contrast between the prognosis she received in 2002 and her later announcement that she was free of hepatitis C.
She closed the reflection with a message of resilience, saying, “I’m not a victim, I’m a victor.”
Anderson is scheduled to appear at the Venice Film Festival for the premiere of Place to Be on Sept. 9, following her recognition at the amfAR Gala Venezia.
