Helen Hunt was 34 when she won the Best Actress Oscar for As Good As It Gets, but the attention that came with it made her anxious. “It was a very famous time,” she recalls. “I felt quite nervous because I was being followed. I remember thinking: ‘What if I can’t turn this off? Am I always going to be walking to my car and there are people with cameras there? Does this last forever?’”
Now at 56, Hunt feels the intensity has diminished. “I don’t think I have that kind of fame now. I haven’t tried to make that happen. I’d like to be well known so I can get more jobs, but it has quietened down.”
The turning point came in 2004 when Hunt had her daughter, Makena Lei. “I spent much less time working and more time in private. I don’t get followed anymore, and I get good theater tickets—that’s worth all of it.”
#1. Stepping Back from Hollywood or Just a Shift?
Much has been said about Hunt stepping away from the public eye after four high-profile films in 2000, including What Women Want and Cast Away, but she sees it differently. “It’s funny when people ask, ‘What happened to you?’ Well, I had a baby and co-wrote, directed, and produced two films, so it didn’t seem so quiet to me.”
Those films were Then She Found Me (2007) and Ride (2014). Hunt reflects on the challenges, particularly the 10 years it took to get Then She Found Me made, only for the film’s distributor to go bankrupt before its release. “That was the most crushing thing. It doesn’t take away from the experience of making it, but you want people to see what you did.”
#2. Returning with Mad About You
Now, Hunt is returning to television with a reboot of Mad About You, the hit US comedy that ran from 1992 to 1999. The reboot will feature 12 new episodes with Hunt and co-star Paul Reiser executive producing and starring. Hunt will also direct the first episode. “I’m concerned that we’ll wreck it,” she admits. “But I don’t know if I’m going to be good in something—that’s what makes it exciting.”
Beyond the reboot, Hunt has recently directed episodes of This Is Us, Feud, and Netflix’s The Politician, emphasizing her increasing role behind the camera.
#3. Advocating for Equality in Hollywood
Hunt is politically active, attending Women’s Marches with her daughter and fighting for pay parity on Mad About You. “I’ve tried very hard to fight for pay parity. People say, ‘Well, this man has more experience,’ but did he have the same opportunities as this woman?” It’s a battle she didn’t know to fight earlier in her career, especially when starring opposite icons like Jack Nicholson and Tom Hanks. “It never occurred to me I should be paid the same.”
#4. Impact of Time’s Up Movement
Reflecting on the changes brought by the Time’s Up movement, Hunt notes, “Movie sets are somewhat safer now. There’s some recourse if you feel objectified. It feels like you could get in trouble now, and thank God.”
Having worked with controversial figures like Kevin Spacey and Woody Allen, Hunt thoughtfully addresses the larger issue. “Until statute of limitation laws around sexual violence are revised, it’s going to be a giant, painful mess.”
#5. World on Fire and Exploring Sexual Violence
In BBC One’s World on Fire, Hunt plays Nancy Campbell, a war correspondent and a victim of sexual violence. The role was loosely based on journalist Clare Hollingworth. “On that set, I began to know things that some people don’t, unless you do a deep dive. It’s one of the great atrocities of our age.”
The call to join the show was unexpected, but everything aligned perfectly. “The material’s good, the part is good, the city is good—I don’t have a complaint.”
#6. Life After the Oscar
Winning an Oscar might sound like a career-defining moment, but Hunt says it didn’t change her life as much as people think. “There’s a big dry spell afterwards for many women. You have some wind at your back for about a year, then you go back to finding a good job.”
Despite her fame, Hunt faces the same uncertainty every actor feels. “Most of your life as an actor is trying to persuade people you can do a part.”
#7. Family Ties and New Generations
Hunt’s daughter, Makena Lei, has expressed interest in acting. “I can hardly say I don’t understand. There’s no point in me saying anything other than: ‘I hope it’s wonderful,’ because she already loves it.” However, Hunt admits, “I can’t cure the endless ‘Will I work again?’ thing that every actor has.”
World on Fire starts later this year on BBC One, and Hunt continues to look for meaningful work both in front of and behind the camera.
