Helen Hunt in Taormina: “AI Will Never Replace Jack Nicholson”

TAORMINA – “In Texas, they love Twister, in London As Good As It Gets. The most interesting people I meet tend to like The Sessions. But my favorite film is the one I directed, Then She Found Me. It didn’t get much distribution push, but now it’s easier to find, and I’m very proud of it.” Helen Hunt, while being an actress who starred in some of the most iconic films of the 1990s and 2000s, has always maintained a strong personal voice—both as a woman and as an artist.

A guest of the 71st Taormina Film Festival, where she is being honored with a lifetime achievement award, the actress spoke briefly with the press. “It’s my first time in Taormina, though I’ve worked in Italy many times. I made a film called The Seductresses (Le seduttrici) and a B-movie in the ’80s shot in Rome that I’d rather not talk about (laughs). I just finished an untitled film with Peter Greenaway in Lucca. A crazy film, of course, like he is. I star alongside Dustin Hoffman. I don’t know what kind of film it will be, but I know that it definitely will be an unusual one. It’s a story about Death, who is actually a character in the movie. There’s this family—me, Dustin, and our daughter—we arrive in Lucca and learn something about Death. It was a wonderful experience.”

The daughter of a producer and a photographer, and the niece of a director, Hunt was born into the arts. “I felt free to choose this career because I truly wanted it. I wasn’t pushed to become an actress, but when I decided to go for it, I was supported,” she said. “I grew up surrounded by artists, illustrators, and theater people. I feel lucky to have grown up in a family where art mattered.”

The issue of aging for actresses was addressed with clarity by Hunt: “There’s nothing I can do about it. Time passes, and you have to accept it. It’s not that bad. For us actresses, it all comes down to writing. A good script makes a difference—for young people and older ones, for white, black, and brown people. The solution, for me, is to support writers.”

And what about women directors? “Women should be given the big franchise films,” she asserted. “If you’re a young male American director and your film is a hit at Sundance, the next year you’ll be offered a big film. If you’re a woman, after a successful Sundance film, you’re expected to make another indie for Sundance. I directed two small films, and that’s exactly what happened to me. When you direct a pilot, you’re paid for all the episodes that follow. But women rarely get to direct pilots—just a few scattered episodes.”

Finally, time to talk about one of the most significant films of her career: As Good As It Gets, for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1998. What makes that romantic comedy so special?
“It’s a love story between three people, not two. James L. Brooks used to say that the theme of the film was: whatever you do to stay safe will end up imprisoning you. Each of the characters has to let go of the things holding them back. My character needs to let go of her worries about her son. Jack’s character has to stop worrying about whether or not he steps on the cracks in the pavement. Greg has to let go of his beauty. I think those are pretty unique elements for a comedy.”

“I knew that working with Jack Nicholson would be wild and unpredictable,” she added, speaking about her co-star. “I grew up studying acting, and so did he. So we asked the same questions, needed the same things, talked about character backstories the same way. For me, it felt like working with an acting classmate, not with Jack Nicholson. You know when you’re at a show and an animal gets on stage and you don’t know what it’s going to do? That animal is Jack. A wild creature who will surprise you.”

Nicholson’s name came up again when Hunt is asked about artificial intelligence in acting: “I don’t believe great performances will ever be replaced by AI. AI Will Never Replace Jack Nicholson.”