Anjelica Huston has held many titles throughout her nearly six-decade career: Hollywood royalty, Oscar win­ner and Addams family matri­arch.

Her latest?

“Donkey advocate,” she tells PEOPLE in her signature purr over the phone from her ranch near the Sierra Nevada mountain range in California. “There are several groups here who look after wild donkeys, and I’m one of them. Donkeys are not the showiest, but they’re some of the sweetest animals I’ve ever met. I think they could always use more publicity.”

Huston, 73, has been living full-time at her ranch since January, when she evacuated her Los Angeles home amidst the wildfires.

“It turned out to be okay, but it’s taken this long to remediate because I had damage and several windows blown out,” she says. “Not terrible, but significant.”

While fleeing the fires with her housekeeper and pets, Huston was surprised to receive a call from her ex Jack Nicholson, 87 — whom she dated on and off from 1973 to 1990 — asking if she was okay and if she needed a place to stay.

“It was heartbreakingly sweet,” she says. “I’ve gone back over it ­several times in my head, and I think next time I’d accept the invitation.”

Huston first purchased her ranch in 1984, after visiting the area with a friend who had grown up there.

“I immediately pronounced it coyote country, which it kind of is,” she says. “There’s a certain amount of wildlife that goes on, but it’s actually very friendly. It’s a small town and it’s very colloquial and easy to get along here. You don’t have to dress for dinner. I spend my time around the animals and riding, and it’s been very pleasurable.”

She’s since “blessed the day I bought this place several times.”

“When I first bought it, it was something that nobody did,” she says. “They’d go, ‘What do you mean you’ve bought a place in the country?’ I know I was mad, but it was a very sane decision.”

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As to what makes her happiest these days, Huston — who currently stars in BritBox’s murder mystery Agatha Christie’s Towards Zero — says she enjoys the simple things in life.

“I love to walk in the rain,” she says. “I love to see my friends, and I love to have a good part in the movie and be proud of something I’ve done.”

Anjelica Huston has held many titles throughout her nearly six-decade career: Hollywood royalty, Oscar win­ner and Addams family matri­arch.

Her latest?

“Donkey advocate,” she tells PEOPLE in her signature purr over the phone from her ranch near the Sierra Nevada mountain range in California. “There are several groups here who look after wild donkeys, and I’m one of them. Donkeys are not the showiest, but they’re some of the sweetest animals I’ve ever met. I think they could always use more publicity.”

Huston, 73, has been living full-time at her ranch since January, when she evacuated her Los Angeles home amidst the wildfires.

“It turned out to be okay, but it’s taken this long to remediate because I had damage and several windows blown out,” she says. “Not terrible, but significant.”

While fleeing the fires with her housekeeper and pets, Huston was surprised to receive a call from her ex Jack Nicholson, 87 — whom she dated on and off from 1973 to 1990 — asking if she was okay and if she needed a place to stay.

“It was heartbreakingly sweet,” she says. “I’ve gone back over it ­several times in my head, and I think next time I’d accept the invitation.”

Huston first purchased her ranch in 1984, after visiting the area with a friend who had grown up there.

“I immediately pronounced it coyote country, which it kind of is,” she says. “There’s a certain amount of wildlife that goes on, but it’s actually very friendly. It’s a small town and it’s very colloquial and easy to get along here. You don’t have to dress for dinner. I spend my time around the animals and riding, and it’s been very pleasurable.”

She’s since “blessed the day I bought this place several times.”

“When I first bought it, it was something that nobody did,” she says. “They’d go, ‘What do you mean you’ve bought a place in the country?’ I know I was mad, but it was a very sane decision.”

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 

As to what makes her happiest these days, Huston — who currently stars in BritBox’s murder mystery Agatha Christie’s Towards Zero — says she enjoys the simple things in life.

“I love to walk in the rain,” she says. “I love to see my friends, and I love to have a good part in the movie and be proud of something I’ve done.”

Anjelica Huston has held many titles throughout her nearly six-decade career: Hollywood royalty, Oscar win­ner and Addams family matri­arch.

Her latest?

“Donkey advocate,” she tells PEOPLE in her signature purr over the phone from her ranch near the Sierra Nevada mountain range in California. “There are several groups here who look after wild donkeys, and I’m one of them. Donkeys are not the showiest, but they’re some of the sweetest animals I’ve ever met. I think they could always use more publicity.”

Huston, 73, has been living full-time at her ranch since January, when she evacuated her Los Angeles home amidst the wildfires.

“It turned out to be okay, but it’s taken this long to remediate because I had damage and several windows blown out,” she says. “Not terrible, but significant.”

While fleeing the fires with her housekeeper and pets, Huston was surprised to receive a call from her ex Jack Nicholson, 87 — whom she dated on and off from 1973 to 1990 — asking if she was okay and if she needed a place to stay.

“It was heartbreakingly sweet,” she says. “I’ve gone back over it ­several times in my head, and I think next time I’d accept the invitation.”

Huston first purchased her ranch in 1984, after visiting the area with a friend who had grown up there.

“I immediately pronounced it coyote country, which it kind of is,” she says. “There’s a certain amount of wildlife that goes on, but it’s actually very friendly. It’s a small town and it’s very colloquial and easy to get along here. You don’t have to dress for dinner. I spend my time around the animals and riding, and it’s been very pleasurable.”

She’s since “blessed the day I bought this place several times.”

“When I first bought it, it was something that nobody did,” she says. “They’d go, ‘What do you mean you’ve bought a place in the country?’ I know I was mad, but it was a very sane decision.”

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 

As to what makes her happiest these days, Huston — who currently stars in BritBox’s murder mystery Agatha Christie’s Towards Zero — says she enjoys the simple things in life.

“I love to walk in the rain,” she says. “I love to see my friends, and I love to have a good part in the movie and be proud of something I’ve done.”

Anjelica Huston has held many titles throughout her nearly six-decade career: Hollywood royalty, Oscar win­ner and Addams family matri­arch.

Her latest?

“Donkey advocate,” she tells PEOPLE in her signature purr over the phone from her ranch near the Sierra Nevada mountain range in California. “There are several groups here who look after wild donkeys, and I’m one of them. Donkeys are not the showiest, but they’re some of the sweetest animals I’ve ever met. I think they could always use more publicity.”

Huston, 73, has been living full-time at her ranch since January, when she evacuated her Los Angeles home amidst the wildfires.

“It turned out to be okay, but it’s taken this long to remediate because I had damage and several windows blown out,” she says. “Not terrible, but significant.”

While fleeing the fires with her housekeeper and pets, Huston was surprised to receive a call from her ex Jack Nicholson, 87 — whom she dated on and off from 1973 to 1990 — asking if she was okay and if she needed a place to stay.

“It was heartbreakingly sweet,” she says. “I’ve gone back over it ­several times in my head, and I think next time I’d accept the invitation.”

Huston first purchased her ranch in 1984, after visiting the area with a friend who had grown up there.

“I immediately pronounced it coyote country, which it kind of is,” she says. “There’s a certain amount of wildlife that goes on, but it’s actually very friendly. It’s a small town and it’s very colloquial and easy to get along here. You don’t have to dress for dinner. I spend my time around the animals and riding, and it’s been very pleasurable.”

She’s since “blessed the day I bought this place several times.”

“When I first bought it, it was something that nobody did,” she says. “They’d go, ‘What do you mean you’ve bought a place in the country?’ I know I was mad, but it was a very sane decision.”

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 

As to what makes her happiest these days, Huston — who currently stars in BritBox’s murder mystery Agatha Christie’s Towards Zero — says she enjoys the simple things in life.

“I love to walk in the rain,” she says. “I love to see my friends, and I love to have a good part in the movie and be proud of something I’ve done.”