Helen Hunt: ‘You want to have fun with work’

Helen Hunt as Rainey in a still from Blingspotting
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

We have seen Helen Hunt as the storm-chasing meteorologist in 1996’s Twister, in the Oscar-winning performance as the single mom and waitress in As Good As it Gets (1997), opposite Tom Hanks in Castaway (2000) and Mel Gibson in What Women Want (2000). To each of these roles, and all the others in her long, distinguished career, Helen has bought her particular understated pixie dust. And that minimalist approach is the actor’s hallmark off-screen too.

When asked about how she chose her roles, the 59-year-old actor, speaking over a video call from California, says, matter-of-factly, “Like I just said to somebody, I choose them mostly when I am asked to do them. That’s the way I choose, when I actually get the part.”

Stories to tell

You want to have fun with work, Helen says. “More than the part, I ask myself, is the story good? I want to be part of stories that I want to watch, that I want to tell.”

Blindspotting, the series based on the eponymous 2018 film, created by Rafael Casal and Daveed Digg, definitely falls in that category, she says of the 2021 show — soon to drop its second season. It tells the story of Ashley, played by Jasmine Cephas Jones whose life turns upside down when her boyfriend and father of her son, Miles (Casal), is incarcerated. Helen plays Miles’ mum, Rainey, who she describes with a laugh as, “Not going to be beaten down.”

Playing Rainey, Helen says has not been about challenges. “It has been about fun and creativity. These guys have fun when they work, and that is part of what makes the show, the show. These characters are enjoying each other even when they’re at odds. There is not a difficult person in the bunch.”

Spoken word poetry and choreography

After a well-received first season, Ashley, Miles and of course our favourite loud mouthed liberal matriarch are all back for round two. Talking about a turning point for her character in the series, Helen says, “There is a moment in the show, where Rainey finally shifts and breaks out into spoken word poetry. It was a chance for this character who has been the cheerleader and the cheer-everybody-up person to finally express her own internal experience. It was a beautiful piece of writing and so wonderful to do.”

The first season ended with a wedding, and in the second innings, Helen says the characters’ nerves are frayed. “They’re trying to make it through. It’s absurd, funny, and moving and there is dance choreography all the way through, which is beautiful.”

Preparation for the role, Helen says, included talking a lot to Rafael and Daveed. “The series is set in Oakland, where the story takes place. I spoke to some people they grew up with, an English teacher they both had. Putting together how Rainey looks was also a big part of the prep,” Helen says.

A big fan of the 2018 film, Helen initially thought a spin-off show was a bad idea. “When Rafa told me they were working on a TV series version, I couldn’t understand what that would be like. And then he told me that the TV show would center around Jasmine’s character and I went, ‘Oh, you’re really smart’ (laughs).”

BOX – The rest was debris

It is over 25 years since Twister blew itself into our collective subconscious with the flying cow and the storm chasers following the tornado to the sound of Deep Purple’s ‘Highway Star’ thumping out of speakers atop the van. There is also a sequel coming out in 2024. Helen’s favourite Twister memory is “Playing cards in my dressing room with all of those guys. That was the most fun (laughs). The rest was a lot of wind and debris.”

Blindspotting Season 1 is currently streaming on Lionsgate Play and Season 2 will stream from June 30