Oscar and Emmy Award winner, Helen Hunt, came to the Las Cruces International Film Festival on April 10 as part of its 10-year celebration. Hunt spoke about her career and gave advice to those seeking to enter the film industry.
Ross Marks, the executive director and founder of Las Cruces International Film Festival, hosted the conversation. He praised the festival for being “the largest student-run film festival in the country,” and run by NMSU students.
Hunt’s love of the movie-making process led her to become an actress, director, and writer. She said she loves the creativity that goes into making a project from scratch.
“I just loved the room where people were telling stories,” Hunt said. “I think part of it was I love – and this is what I love about movies, too – stories that are funny. I’m a ‘Star Wars,’ ‘Harry Potter’ girl, so I love straight-up big movies. But there were also stories that were scary and sad, but it was the safety of this room where people were rehearsing it, or writing it, and trying to bring it to life.”
Hunt discussed the complications of making her first independent movie, “Then She Found Me,” and how finances played a significant role in the delay. She said it felt devastating to have bags packed and receive a call that the production would have to be delayed.
“Then She Found Me” took 10 years to make, and Hunt credits her determination as the reason it was finally released.
“I said to my daughter, ‘When I die, don’t have a funeral, just play that movie,’” Hunt said. “That movie is everything I care about, but it took me forever to make it, and one of the times that it fell apart, I said to one of the guys who was in charge of financing, ‘Who gets their movie made?’ . . . and he said, ‘Whoever doesn’t give up.’”
Hunt and Marks commented on New Mexico’s growing film relevance in the country compared to other cities.
“There’s people dying to get in [Las Cruces], man, you’re here,” Marks said. “I have a friend who’s a screenwriter who’s moving to Las Cruces because there’s more work in New Mexico than there is in LA.”
Hunt began her acting career as a child in Los Angeles, taking classes with her aunt, but it was never something she thought she’d do professionally. Hunt’s advice to those wanting to break into the industry is to be unafraid of showing wild and intense emotion when performing to set themselves apart.
“You know, like one person has to be the feral, wild animal who does the embarrassing stuff,” Hunt said. “And so, I tell my [acting] students, like, be that person. It doesn’t mean you have to be rude on a set, but remember, that’s who you are. Do a vocal warm-up in your trailer, and if people hear it? Fine. You’re kind of signaling, ‘I’m not here to chat. I’m here to bring this piece of story to life.’”
