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Bonnie Hunt
Interview By: Andrea Tuccillo
Bonnie Hunt is no stranger to the world of animation. She's been transformed into a good-natured black widow spider, a scary monster, and as of this month she can be seen as a sleek and shiny blue Porsche named Sally. As evidenced by her work on A Bug's Life, Monster's Inc. and Cars respectively, the folks over at Pixar really seem to love Hunt. And clearly the feeling is mutual.
Hunt is like the best gal pal you never knew you had. Her warm, friendly voice makes you feel instantly familiar. A genuine person with a hearty sense of humor, you get the feeling that Hunt knows exactly how to get the most out of life and enjoy every moment while she can.
That is a quality she shares with her auto-counterpart, Sally the Porsche, a former hot-shot attorney in the car world who left everything behind in search of a more fulfilling life in a small town.
'I could really relate to Sally,' Hunt says. 'You feel really grateful to have the opportunity for success and to embrace it and to get on the treadmill. It's tough, but you kind of put yourself on it. For her this was something where she just escaped and drove and drove until her car breaks down. She ends up staying there because I think she felt safe, loved and needed.'
Bringing depth and a relatable quality to an otherwise inanimate object seems like it would be challenge. But for Hunt the task comes naturally. In drama, comedy or computer animation, she approaches all of her characters the same way: by finding the truth in them.
'At Pixar whether you're a toy, a bug or a monster it really is about the heart and soul of the character,' says Hunt.
Her special kinship with Pixar seems to stem from early childhood when she would watch cartoons in awe and long to be a part of that world. As a child in a family of seven children with only one television set, she recalls the mesmerizing power of animation.
'There was a crack in the TV, in the glass that was in front of it, and I used to hope that the cartoons would get close enough that they would fall out,' she remembers. 'I would stand there with a cup because I wanted one of the little characters to fall out and I cleaned out one of my dresser drawers because I thought I'd let him live in there. It's really powerful because then when you grow up and you're in the business you get to be the voice and it all comes to life. It's unbelievable.'
To this day, Hunt respects the detailed process that the talented animators at Pixar undertake.
'It's like a creative oasis,' Hunt raves. 'When I first met them I came in on A Bug's Life. I remember thinking this is like what you dreamed it would be like, like when you first got into the business and you wanted to be a storyteller, that's what you dreamed it would be like. That's what they're like at Pixar. The process is respected and it's all about teamwork.'
It is the dedication and the enthusiasm of the atmosphere that keeps Hunt coming back for more. Having written and directed several projects herself including her now-cancelled ABC sitcom, Life with Bonnie, Hunt has a deep appreciation for what goes on behind the scenes of a production. She realizes that it takes real talent and commitment. Even if it's just a single animator working on a certain fleck of light in the paint on a car, everyone's job is vital.
'These are creative people that nobody ever sees, nobody ever knows about,' she says. 'They're moms and dads and husbands and wives and sons and daughters and they go to work everyday. Their teamwork, their brilliance, their commitment is what brings all of that into play. There are so many levels of it. In normal studio films nobody understands all the layers.'
So after her nuanced portrayal of the Porsche with the pinstriped 'tattoo,' what is up next for the multi-tasking Hunt'
'Oh, modeling,' she jokes.
In actuality, Hunt plans to continue alternating her jobs in front of and behind the camera. She recently co-wrote a screenplay for a sequel to Mrs. Doubtfire, of which she is very proud. She is hopeful that they will go forward with it, but at this point is still unsure of the outcome.
Meanwhile, Hunt also wrote, directed and starred in a new comedy pilot for ABC called Crimes and Dating, in which she plays a newly divorced detective. Joe Mantegna plays her ex-husband and Dennis Miller plays her therapist. Although it was not picked up for the fall schedule, it might be reconsidered for midseason.
But no matter what type of roadblocks are thrown in Hunt's way, it doesn't seem to keep her down for long because she knows exactly where she's headed.
'I go where the good story is and if there's not a good story then I try writing one,' she simply states.
Bonnie Hunt goes with her heart, and that's a good direction to take on the roadmap of life.
