Ione Sky is an actor, best known for the films Say Anything and Gas Food Lodging. The 51-year-old talks about becoming friends with her teenage crush, marrying young, and her wild years with Anthony Kiedis.
My maternal grandfather, Benjamin Stulberger, was a big part of my childhood as my parents were separated when I was born, and I was raised solely by my mother. His Hungarian roots meant his family was very important to him and my relationship with him made me feel very confident. My grandfather served in World War II and taught me songs from the 1930s and 1940s. He was left-leaning and actively political, a classic New York Jew.
Ione Skye on her relationship with Anthony Kiedis: “I was 17, so innocent, and I didn’t know what was coming my way.”Credit:Louie Douvis
my mumEnid Karl, never complained about my father [British folk singer Donovan]. My paternal grandparents were very proud of their son of him and I grew up listening to his music of him. As a kid in school, I wanted to brag that he was my father but he never did. It was a strange feeling to be proud of my dad but also wonder, “Who is this guy?” I ended up having a relationship with Dad when I was a teenager and it has continued since.
My brother Donovan and I are like yin and yang. He was born tap-dancing out of the womb. He started acting as soon as he could. He has an infectious personality. He got me into my career because he came home one day saying they were auditioning teenagers for a movie and wrangled me in. It was a lead role in River’s Edge [1986]. It was my first job and it started my career.
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My first boyfriend was a rich kid called Sean. I was 14 and he was 15. I grew up in a bohemian home, but I wanted to get the most popular guy that everyone at my all-girls’ school was talking about, and I did. We dated for a year. I liked being chased but felt more comfortable being the one in control. I didn’t want things to come out of the blue. I wanted to decide when we’d kiss or not.
I had a crush on John Taylor from Duran Duran when I was growing up. If you’d told me at that age that I’d be friends with him later, I’d be like, “No way.” My friend Amanda de Cadenet was married to him in the 1990s.
“My first husband was Adam Horowitz from Beastie Boys. We were madly in love but we were too young. It didn’t last.”
I worked with director Cameron Crowe when I made the film Say Anything in 1989. He reminds me of my husband, musician Ben Lee. He loves women and is a confident man. Sometimes I don’t like it when men are too confident because I get jealous, but there is a natural and loving way he treats women which I like.