 |
Despite being lauded last night by festival organizers with the 2003 Sundance Institute Tribute to Independent Vision -- and despite the fact she has not one, but two, indie flicks at this year's event -- Holly Hunter says she hasn't abandoned the industry's movie-making machine.
"I'm not opposed to making money -- I think it's great. And I'm not opposed to movies that take a lot of money to make and sometimes I truly enjoy going to studio movies. I loved Minority Report," says Hunter, who is separated from Report's cinematographer, Janusz Kaminski.
"It's what comes down the pike for actors. But you know, I also attract things. Whether I like it or not, I attract certain kinds of movies."
It's not difficult to understand why. Hunter, who in person seems tiny enough to fit into your pocket, is energetic, warm and witty. So it's characters with those very qualities she tries to avoid. And it speaks to her resourcefulness as a performer that the endlessly-verbal Hunter won an Oscar for her role as a mute in 1993's The Piano.
"When someone writes a script or character for me, it's flat to me. It lies there. It's not interesting; it's something I've done. Broadcast News is a brilliant thing and that ends. That doesn't have an after-life with other movies doing (that same character)."
The two films Hunter has at Sundance -- Levity and thirteen -- are dramatically different. Levity tells the story of a felon (Billy Bob Thornton) searching for redemption. She portrays the sister of the murdered boy.
thirteen, which has enjoyed an overwhelmingly positive response here, is an uncompromising look at teenage anxiety.
"I think it's extremely visceral," Hunter says of the audience reaction.
"It's kind of a physical film. I think the audience, in a way, participates whether they like it or not. The movie comes out and grabs you and that's where its power is. This energy is very much what it's like to be around a group of 13-year-olds who are so scattershot and ricocheting around. And their worlds are so encapsulated -- these intact worlds that just move around that the outside world seems to be excluded from, that energy of youth and experimentation," says Hunter, who's also one of thirteen's producers.
"I really wanted to participate in a more creative way, and I wanted to be able to support (director Catherine Hardwicke)."
But, contemplating last night's tribute prior to the event, it was her latest accolade causing the 44-year-old the most anxiety. Or more precisely, having to give an acceptance speech.
"People think actors are natural public speakers. Uh, like, no. I really wish they would just give me the award. I like the whole thing -- talking about me, roasting me, all that's grand. The applause, that's great. But I really just wish I could come up on stage and they'd give me the award. I'm really nervous. What if I fail?"
Delivering her Oscar speech was "totally different because they tell you if you don't finish your speech by 30 seconds, we're going to give you the hook. And then they show you this reel of disasters where the speeches went too long, so you kind of get tortured before the show, so you really get on with it."