PROJECT FINAL CUT: An interview with Stolen Summer star Bonnie Hunt. By Warren Curry 3/21/02 Part 1 of 2

Star of stage, television and silver screen, Bonnie Hunt is well known for her roles in such feature films as Dave, Jerry Maguire, Random Hearts and The Green Mile. Recently, though, the actress has worn a few different hats -- most notably co-writing and directing the 2000 film Return to Me, which starred Minnie Driver and David Duchovny. Like Stolen Summer director Pete Jones (click here for interview), Bonnie is a native of Chicago, and she skillfully turns in a warm, often comical performance as the film's Margaret O'Malley. Bonnie is currently developing a television series at ABC.

(NOTE: The interview was conducted at a press roundtable, therefore not all of the questions were asked by CinemaSpeak).

What attracted you to this role?

BH: The story -- I'm a story junkie. I like stories of goodness.

How much did you know about Project Greenlight before you got involved with the project?

BH: I didn't know anything about it. I was hired 12 hours before I started shooting. I got on a plane, went in and went to work. When we started shooting I thought, "Am I on COPS?" There were these cameras all over, and then Brian Dennehy said they were making a documentary. I thought it was some one-hour documentary, promo thing on HBO. Then I found out it was 13 episodes and I wanted to turn around and head home -- I was really scared. At that point, into the second day, I already felt so much empathy for Pete and loved the character and the story, so I wasn't going anywhere.

You come from a large family, right?

BH: Yeah, 7 kids.

Did that help you in your role?

BH: Sure. It was very reminiscent of my own childhood. Pete was good; he was the collaborator, so it was give and take creatively between the two of us to make the role come to life. That's always a joy when someone hears you out.

Had you ever worked with anyone quite that green?

BH: Besides myself? (laughs) I had written and directed my first movie, Return To Me, just before that. The most important ingredient for a director is to know your story and passionately see it through, and Pete had that.

It was really surprising just how much the movie tackled some potentially controversial issues.

BH: Well, the way you get away with that is to go through a kid's mouth.

Exactly, but do you feel this film will take on a special resonance post September 11?

BH: I think people will be more sensitive to it and more accepting of the goodness of it. A lot of times goodness and heartwarming doesn't translate into artwork so much in our business. I know, because I've been a part of a lot of things that are like that. I think often times when people are moved, they're embarrassed by their own emotional response, so they say, "This is corny." If you can really provoke an emotion in somebody, it's a real art form. I think after September 11, people are going to be more open to saying, "Yes, this moved me." You think of a moment in your life when it might be the end of it, and you hope that your legacy, the things you've done and the things that you put into the universe are good ultimately. That's what's nice about this business -- you can be selective and put things out there that make people think and feel.

Was the smack in the script?

BH: She did throw her arm in the back seat, but the "Come here, I'm not going to hit you" was me. The bait and switch was my idea. Pete wanted her to smack the kids a little bit. That's when the collaboration is so great. You have a great character and a great story somebody wrote that they want to see through and they go, "What can you do with it?" and you add a little bit.

Did that come from your comedy background?

BH: You know, I don't think of myself so much as a comedian, although I know that's the category I'm in. I think of what I do as slice-of-life. I don't think I've ever told a joke. Most of the stuff I do is to portray people as honestly I can, so they laugh. They see somebody they know or they see themselves in it. Everything you've done leads up to the next thing you do.

Do you think Project Greenlight is a good thing?

BH: I think the intent that Ben Affleck and Matt Damon had is something to be applauded. They wanted to help somebody get a break, because they were lucky enough to have one. I think that's a really great idea. I think the fact that it turned into a reality TV show instead of a documentary was tough, and I was saddened by it.

Did you watch it?

BH: Yes, I watched it every week. Sure, I was going to be in it! I was like everybody else wondering what they were going to do to me. I think the next time around, if Ben and Matt are involved, I know they will consider how much this affects peoples' lives. People like Aidan, Kevin and I -- we're actors, we're used to being in front of the camera and know how it affects your life. It's different when you're a crew member and you're thinking, "The camera's on me, this is a funny moment." You don't realize that through editing out of context, only certain moments are used that can affect somebody who is trying to get hired again in Chicago to do a movie. There should be a certain ethical responsibility for people to be very careful about that, and to be as accurate as possible and not play around for dramatic and entertainment reasons.

Click for Part Two

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