Holly Hunter Net Worth

Holly Hunter's Quotes

• Acting, for me, is the last vestige of doing something that I would like to feel really naive about. - Interview, November 1995.
• [on the importance of rehearsal for Thirteen (2003)] : I mean, some movies I walk in, "Hi, nice to meet you", we get in bed and we do a love scene. And that does happen. That happened with me with Billy Crudup on Jesus' Son (1999). Actors talk about that a lot, but it's not uncommon. And we could not have done Thirteen (2003) that way. It would not have worked.
• I always feel that I am the advocate for my character. More than anyone else on the set, including the director. I'm there to protect my character, in a way.
• I often get asked to direct and I've never taken anyone up on it. It would be very interesting and I would learn so much. But it's a very confrontational job - I mean, directors are forced to confront themselves, and I don't think there's really a way to prepare for the pressure of directing. And I have seen quite a few good people crash and burn at the job. Nervous breakdowns, crying, screaming fits - people buckle, so it's always scared me. But it's intriguing.
• It just seems that abortion rights never ceases to be a hot topic. It's a shame. It feels to me an anachronism. I mean, why are we still talking about this? Why is this not just a woman's right, period? I find it boring and very frustrating that it remains such a high profile subject.

Interesting Facts about Holly Hunter

1. Was director James L. Brooks' first choice to play the female lead in As Good as It Gets (1997), but reportedly demanded too much money upfront and was passed over in favour of Helen Hunt. Hunter had previously collaborated with James L. Brooks on the 1987 film, Broadcast News (1987).
2. She had one line in her film debut, The Burning (1981), among a few ad libs. Regarding missing canoes she says to Todd -- "What happens if we don't find them?"
3. In 10th grade she placed 8th nationally in a poultry-judging contest. (Interview, 11/95)
4. Hunter's uncle was the first commander of the Thunderbirds, the world-famous U.S. Air Force Demonstration Squadron of fighter pilots.
5. An accomplished pianist, she actually performed all of the piano music for her Oscar performance in The Piano (1993). Film makers selected pieces for her that matched her talent.
6. Second cousin of Anaheim Angels' outfielder Tim Salmon.
7. Replaced Debra Winger for the role of Jane Craig in Broadcast News (1987).
8. Turned down the role of God in Dogma (1999).
9. Announced her separation from husband, Janusz Kaminski. They have had been apart since Halloween. [December 2001]
10. Taught by Jorge Guerra.
11. Along with Fay Bainter, Teresa Wright, Barry Fitzgerald, Jessica Lange, Sigourney Weaver, Al Pacino, Emma Thompson, Julianne Moore, Jamie Foxx, Cate Blanchett and Scarlett Johansson, she is one of only twelve actors to receive Academy Award nominations in two acting categories in the same year. She was nominated for Best Actress for The Piano (1993) and Best Supporting Actress for The Firm (1993) at the 66th Academy Awards in 1994, winning the former award.
12. While living in the North Bronx, she turned down the lead role in Blood Simple (1984), but introduced the Coen Brothers to her roommate Frances McDormand, who got the role and ended up marrying one of the brothers. Hunter's voice can be heard on an answering machine message in the film.
13. Lived in the same house as Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, Frances McDormand and Sam Raimi in 1985 in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles.
14. Hired a sign language interpreter to help her create her own sign language for her role in The Piano (1993).
15. Started playing piano at 9.
16. Moved to New York in 1980 to pursue a career in acting.
17. Made her Broadway debut in 1982 in "Crimes of the Heart."
18. Joel Coen and Ethan Coen saw her in "Crimes of the Heart" and wanted to cast her in the movie, Blood Simple (1984). Because she was committed in another play, "The Wake of Jamey Foster", they cast her roommate Frances McDormand instead. Frances McDormand ended up marrying Joel Coen.
19. In 1993, she won the Oscar for Best Actress for The Piano (1993), in which she utilised her real-life piano skills. Eleven years later, Jamie Foxx won Best Actor for Ray (2004), in which he also played the piano. Both of them had been nominated for a supporting performance in those respective years, and both were nominated for a role they played opposite Tom Cruise. Hunter appeared in The Firm (1993) and Jamie Foxx appeared in Collateral (2004).
20. Member of jury at the Cannes Film Festival in 1999.