Executive produced by Rafael Casal and Daveed Diggs, who also starred in the film in addition to writing and producing it, the half-hour Starz original dramedy Blindspotting follows Ashley (Jasmine Cephas Jones) after Miles (Casal, who’s also the series showrunner), her partner of 12 years and father of their son, is arrested and sent to prison. Finding herself in the less than ideal position of having to move in with Miles’ mother (Helen Hunt) and half-sister (Jaylen Barron), Ashley just wants to be left alone to raise her child how she sees fit, but that’s nearly impossible to do when everyone has their own opinion about how she’s doing that.
During a virtual junket for the poetic Oakland-set TV series, Collider got the opportunity to chat 1-on-1 with Hunt about how her involvement with Blindspotting started with a tweet, being a part of a show that has a very definite vibe, the three things she had to have in order to feel safe filming during a pandemic, and what she most enjoyed about playing this character. She also talked about watching Twister on her lawn with Casal and Diggs, and the similarities between her Blindspotting and Girls Just Wanna Have Fun characters.
Collider: I love your character. Because you had not been in the film and this is not just a TV show, it’s really a whole vibe, how did they pitch all of that to you? Did you go back to watch the movie?
HELEN HUNT: I saw the movie. That’s how it all started. I went to the theater and paid my however many dollars, and watched it and loved it and tweeted about it. They saw that and commented on my tweet, and I commented, and we messaged, and the next thing you know, I was with these guys and we were talking about how much we’d like to make something together. And then, you think, “What would that be?” We had a few things that we’re working on and have talked about. We were spending time during the pandemic together, which meant on either side of my lawn, waving at each other. And I kept hearing about Blindspotting the TV series. They were doing drafts and new drafts. And then, one day they were over at my house and they had just gotten a call that Starz was gonna make eight episodes of this show, so we drank champagne. They kept throwing in these jokes about me being in it, and I was like, “Are they joking?” I didn’t want something weird to happen in the friendship, so I pretended it’s not happening. And then, finally, Rafa [Casal] called and said, “We should stop pretending it’s not happening. It is happening. We want you to be in it. But we’ll love you, even if you’re not in it.” They say they thought I was gonna say no, but I don’t know why. I read a couple of episodes and I talked to them about what I would need to feel like I could be good in the show and safe during COVID, and they promised everything that I asked for, and then delivered completely on those promises. It’s been a great job for me.
Have you ever had anything else happen from a tweet like that?
HUNT: No, I definitely haven’t. I really noticed how there’s been many times in my life where someone wants me to say yes to a job, so whatever I ask for, they say yes, and then you get there and a third of what you were promised shows up. This was totally the opposite. They have integrity and a really good sense of humor and a joy in what they’re doing. It was really fun to be around.
What were the things that were important to you, that you wanted to make sure you had?
HUNT: There were three things. The number one thing is that I wanted to not get sick. I’m older than the rest of the cast and I just said, “I can’t fuck around with this, so I need to know how that’s gonna go down.” So, I talked to their COVID people and Rafa and Daveed [Diggs] were very buttoned up. I felt like, “Okay, if I’m gonna step out of my house, this is as safe as it’s gonna be.” So, that was the first thing. The second thing was that, like you said, it’s a vibe. I remember saying to them, “Helen Hunt in a bad wig is gonna ruin Blindspotting. Whatever it’s gonna cost to get my look to look right and real, we have to do because that would be horrible for everybody.” And they promised that. We did a lot of tests to make sure we all believed it. And then, it was just that I would be able to talk to them about each episode and have them explain to me what they wanted, or hear me out, if I had a thought or a question or I didn’t understand something. We did that with every episode. It was very seamlessly a collaboration. So, those were three out of three things that they gave me.
Having now played her for a season, what do you enjoy about Rainey?
HUNT: She was fun for me to hang out with. She’s basically me, if I was unchecked. She’s a loud, clumsy ally, filled with love for her family, and willing to say, “I don’t know what I’m doing,” and willing to say, “I know more than you think.” I relate to a lot of that. You start off with a part feeling very foreign and you think, “How’s she gonna walk? What’s she gonna wear? I don’t know how to play this.” And by the end, she’s just the part of you that you let out of the cage.
She seems to be very open to who people are and doesn’t seem to want to impose anything, which makes for such interesting character dynamics.
HUNT: That’s keenly observed on your part. I think you’re right.
You don’t get a sense of judgment from her.
HUNT: No, and we spent a lot of time working on that. How can she speak up and care for her kid? A mom doesn’t feel nothing when their daughter is making her living that way, but at the same time, she doesn’t want to judge or alienate. That was a really tiny little needle to thread. We spent a ton of time putting lines in and taking lines out, to try to make sure it was all motivated and, like you say, didn’t come off like a judgment.
What do you like about the dynamics that she has, both with Ashley and with Trish?
HUNT: I think she comes in like a big loud bull in a China shop, and then has a good enough sense of humor to back off or make a joke about backing off, or bring the wrong present and be willing to be told that it was a tone deaf gift that she gave. I guess she’s got humility and courage. That’s maybe what people are liking about her.
She seems to really care about people. She’s out there for this kid, trying to find a book on teaching him what it means to have his father be in prison, which is just so tragic and heartbreaking and real.
HUNT: Yeah, it’s an interesting turn. There’s an argument in it about when Jasmine [Cephas Jones]’s character is gonna tell Atticus Woodward, who plays my grandson, that his dad is in prison, and I have a very strong opinion about it that isn’t the same as his mother’s. I remember feeling like I had to back her because she’s the mom and you’ve gotta back the mom, but then, I’m taking it into my own hands. That was a really interesting turn to play.
Have you also started to have conversations about where you could go with this character in future seasons?
HUNT: I don’t think anybody’s willing to jinx anything until first they pick it up, and then they want me to continue to be in it. I don’t know. I think they’re very busy getting all of these eight episodes finished and out there.
I’ve been a dancer for most of my life and, as a result, Girls Just Wanna Have Fun was such a big film for me. What are your memories of making that movie and playing that fabulous character?
HUNT: It was similar to [Blindspotting] in a way – big and loud and supportive and well-meaning and embarrassing. I remember making a lot of hair clips with the hair dresser, using a hot glue gun, and putting a grasshopper on top of a beret. That was fun. That’s probably the most similar to any other part I’ve ever seen. It’s about being in support, whether it’s in support of my friend or in support of my kid. I’ve got your back. That’s the spirit of it.
It’s been 25 years since Twister came out and that’s still a movie that’s so much fun to watch.
HUNT: That’s a good movie. I watched it with Rafa and Daveed on the lawn.
Are you surprised that that movie is still as fun to watch now?
HUNT: I am, except that I saw it with them this last year and was like, “This movie deserves to still be talked about because it’s really good.”
Blindspotting airs on Sunday nights on Starz.