It’s not that she’s unfunny–she steals just about everything she’s in, from playing Renee Zellweger’s wonderfully bitter sister in “Jerry Maguire” to her sharp and consistently hysterical appearances on the “Late Show with David Letterman.” It’s just that Hunt, 38, hasn’t exactly had the best of luck on series television.
Her new show, “Life With Bonnie,” is her fifth sitcom in the last decade. As usual, Hunt makes comedy the hard way. On “Life With Bonnie,” she stars as the host of a second-rate morning talk show and an overworked mother of three. Hunt, who cut her teeth doing improv at Second City, has insisted that the talk-show segment of “Life With Bonnie” be unscripted, which in the TV world is like skydiving without bothering to learn how to open the parachute.
Still, “Life With Bonnie”–which Hunt co-writes, directs and produces as well–is one of the few bright spots of the new TV season and an especially welcome hit at ratings-struggling ABC. Hunt talked to NEWSWEEK’s Marc Peyser about her show, her career and the time she walked off the stage to help save a guy’s life.
NEWSWEEK: I’m so unprepared for this interview. Other than “Life With Bonnie,” I’ve never seen anything you’ve done.
Bonnie Hunt: You’re kidding me. Oh, come on. You’ve seen “The Green Mile.” “Jerry Maguire?” Did you see “Return to Me”? I’ve been around for a while.
No. Sorry. I guess I’ve been avoiding you for years.
I don’t blame you.
It hasn’t been easy. “Life With Bonnie” is your umpteenth TV show, isn’t it?
I’ve been in five series. This is the third one I’ve written, acted in and produced. This is the first one I’m directing as well.
You really must be a glutton for punishment.
I just love storytelling, and I have the need for the speed of television. In television you get to write a story, put it up on its feet, shoot it and turn it around and put it in front of an audience within 10 days. You get that instant gratification–it’s really a lot of fun.
But “Life With Bonnie” must be especially nerve-wracking since you improvise a section of it.
We have the safety net of good dialogue, good story and strong characters. Otherwise, the improvisation would be too risky. You can’t really redo improvisation because it’s not scripted. You can’t say, “Hey, remember everything you said. Let’s do it again!”
Do you script the talk-show material for the guest stars?
We’ll give somebody a character. We had Martin Mull on last week, and it was completely improvised. He knew he was going to be a dog-fashion designer named Leonard, but that’s it. He said OK, showed up and that’s all we went with.
Excuse me. A dog-fashion designer?
It’s a Halloween episode.
Of course.
There are other people who want their stuff written for them. For David Duchovny, he wanted his stuff written and then he ended up improvising. A lot of the actors that come on want the strength of a good character and a good script, and then if they see the safety of that, then they can improvise.
I imagine the network must have been nervous about the prospect of just winging a section of your show every week.
At first they were curious about it, but then they saw me with the two chefs from Rome. They’re real chefs, they’re not actors. I took their Cooking Class for Housewives. That’s how I met them, and I said, “you’re going to come on my show and do a cooking segment.” Those guys got here five minutes before that segment. I think they thought they were on a real talk show. They just came out and taught me how to make tiramisu. It was wonderful.
After that, I think the network really tried to understand what we were trying to do. It is a risk, but ABC is in a situation where they wanted to try something new. They’ve been really supportive actually, surprisingly given my creative history in network television.
You were a cancer nurse for a number of years before heading to Hollywood? That sounds like a real funny job.
For me it was definitely inspiring. It was a gift to get that perspective. You meet the most incredible people at the most vulnerable time. It’s been a helping hand to me through a business that doesn’t have a lot of perspective.
Do you ever miss it?
For years, when a show was canceled, I would go back home and work. I love it.
Have you ever given medical care while acting?
Yes, I have, a couple of times, actually. I don’t want to talk about it because then I feel like I’m saying, “Hey, look at me, I helped somebody.” I did it once during Second City when someone had an epileptic seizure. I went out into the audience right from the stage.
Why do sitcoms seem to be in such a sorry, tired state these days?
For me, good storytelling comes from a strong point of view and a strong take on life. A lot of times in this business, you’re writing to a trend. The trend becomes your friend, instead of writing from a perspective. I think that’s what’s happened in the last few years. People are writing toward the trend. It always shows when it comes from a certain perspective.
Entertainment Weekly once called you the greatest talk-show guest. Is that true?
I don’t know. I can’t be objective about myself. I love being a storyteller, so whether it’s on a talk show, in a coffee shop or writing an episode of television. You want to hold somebody’s interest, be accessible and entertaining.
[Hunt puts her hand over the phone and starts talking to the people around her. She appears to say, in a somewhat amused tone, “He’s never seen me in anything but this show.”].
What was that?
I’m talking to my friends in the room because they’re looking at me like, who are you talking to?
Sorry. I told you I was a Bonnie Hunt virgin.
Rent some of my movies–you’ll really like them.
I’m sure.
Not just because I’m in them, but I’ve been involved in really great, wonderful stories.
Which one should I start with?
First, I’d get “Return to Me” because I wrote and directed it.
Of course.
Then do “The Green Mile,” “Jerry Maguire” and “Jumanji.”
Right.
C’mon, Marc. Get with the program. Your weekend is planned, baby.
