Helen Hunt said her acting background helped her direct “Feud”
The latest episode of the delightful show Feud features the show’s stars, Susan Sarandon and Jessica Lange. But another big name Hollywood actress was also featured, only in a very different role.
Oscar-winner Helen Hunt, who shared that her own acting career helped her in the position, directed the “Abandoned!” episode.
In a recent interview with Mashable, Hunt shared that her directing style was largely influenced by her own background as an actress.
She explained, "My time acting and studying acting serves me every time I have to open my mouth and speak to one of these really smart actors, you know what I mean? You don't want to say something that’s going to mess up what they have, but you do want to give them something new to try, or help them get out of a jam if they’re feeling not good about it."
Hunt was, obviously, impressed by both Susan Sarandon and Jessica Lange in their roles. As an actress herself, she marveled at how differently the two women approached the job. And was consistently in awe (as we all are) of their incredible performances.
Of course, this episode of Feud wasn’t Hunt’s first time in the director’s chair. She’d previously directed both movies and TV episodes. But the nature of what the characters Joan and Bette are going through in Feud struck a very familiar chord with Hunt.
She said, "Obviously [there's] the subject matter [of] the female actor in her early 50s and so I certainly know what it’s like that these two women want to be relevant. They want to be relevant and making work. So to get to make work about two women wanting to make work was pretty great!"
And Hunt definitely knew how to take advantage of working with these incredibly talented women.
Having been on both sides of the camera, she knew how to get the best work out of them.
And she insisted that maintaining a positive approach was absolutely necessary to everyone’s success.
Hunt added, “I feel like I was there just to help the actors have a little more fun if I could, you know what I mean? And that’s what I love the most about directing: to whisper something to a great actor that allows them to feel confident when they work or puts a smile on their face, because they’re going to try something totally perverse and bizarre, and it might just work.”
Can you feel me worshipping her? @feudtv watch tonight!!! pic.twitter.com/POK6BK0mmu
— Helen Hunt (@HelenHunt) April 17, 2017
The results speak for themselves. The episode is riveting and wonderful. Hunt’s directorial talent certainly shines through in all of the excellent performances.
Feud’s season finale, which was also directed by a woman, premieres this Sunday on FX at 10 pm.