'Return To Me' Brings Happiness To Hunt
Actor Also Shines In Heartfelt Roles As Co-Writer, Director

When actor-turned-filmmaker Bonnie Hunt sets out to make a movie from the heart, she does it in the literal sense.
And does it ever beat strongly.
That's because her writing and directing debut, "Return to Me," deals with a story of how people's hearts beat on despite tragedy. And while the film is fantastic in nature, the emotions portrayed in it are very real.
That's why the film contains several different elements -- all the way from heartfelt comedy to tragedy to everyday drama. Essentially, it's just like real life.
"It's hard to do a movie like this because in one line it might seem corny," Hunt told me in a recent interview. "But it's different when you're dealing with real, human people at the core of it."
In the film, David Duchovny plays Bob, an architectural engineer devastated by the recent loss of his wife (Joely Richardson). Things begin to look up, however, when he meets Grace (Minnie Driver), a recent recipient of a heart transplant.
Unbeknown to both of them, there's a magical link between their hearts that has drawn them closer together than they'll ever know.
From the get-go, Hunt and co-writer Don Lake establish a wonderful sense of family within the framework of the film. She met Lake while a member of Chicago's Second City troupe, so filming the movie in the city was like going home for a family reunion.
Among the dozen Second City vets who made appearances in the film was James Belushi, with whom Hunt teamed with for an alumni show a few years back. With his strong base in improvisation at Second City, Hunt knew that Belushi was her man not only for the movie, but also for the part of her husband onscreen.
"For somebody like Jim, they really need to be in their element to shine," Hunt said. "They need the freedom to say 'Let me move around a little bit, let me take the words from the page and make it more real so I can move within it.' You can see the difference in a performance for somebody with that type of talent -- ultimately, you can cheat your own writing if you don't let an actor of a certain talent explore it and take their take on it."
She also made good on some promises made years ago to Eddie Jones and Marianne Muellerleile, who play two important supporting roles in the film. "Those two were on the very first sitcom I ever did, and I promised them that if I ever directed a movie they would be the first two people I would call," Hunt said. "And they were."
But there was more. Another one of Hunt's co-stars was David Alan Grier, with whom she worked on "Jumanji." But her faith in him extended much further than other directors who have worked with Grier before.

"David Alan Grier is one of the funniest people I've ever known in my life, but I wanted him to have the opportunity to have a dramatic moment in this movie," Hunt said. "There's a scene of some loss and I thought it was great for him to be able to stretch those muscles."
Also joining Hunt's film family was the always dependable Robert Loggia and the "All in the Family" veteran himself, Carroll O'Connor -- which was a major coup, considering that O'Connor hadn't made a feature film in 25 years.
The script about facing the loss of a loved one deeply moved O'Connor, who was devastated by the loss of his son Hugh five years ago. O'Connor, of course, has now dedicated himself to helping others in need.
"There were scenes of Carroll praying in the church and hoping that were very moving to shoot," Hunt said. "They are very much of who he is as a man."

Of course, as a first-time director, Hunt was happy to stretch some new muscles, too. For starters, her background as a nurse caring for terminally ill cancer patients grounded her in the reality of people facing death.
And while her will was taken care of with a wonderfully funny and poignant script, the way to physically make the film was the daunting task that still lay ahead. But her enthusiasm had that area covered.
"The biggest thing you have to have is stamina," Hunt told me. "The hours are so long, there's really no rest, and I felt a great deal of responsibility to the studio that gave me the opportunity. And certainly, I didn't want my actors regretting that they said 'Yes.' I think the actual emotional exhaustion of keeping all the plates spinning is actually harder than the work.
"The work never fatigues me, because it's such a thrill making a movie. It is such of a joy that it gives you this incredible energy to just get through the process -- I even liked being in front of the camera as well. It made my day easier because there was one less person to discuss the scene with."
Besides the energy she found by actually being at the helm, it helped tremendously that Hunt paid close attention to directors Frank Darabont and Sydney Pollack while filming her roles in "The Green Mile" and "Random Hearts," respectively.

I used these guys for my education," Hunt said. "The productions of the movies were scheduled at the same time, but the producers worked their schedules around each other so I could do both movies. I really wanted to watch Sydney work because he was in front of and behind the camera. Frank Darabont has a completely different approach, where he doesn't want the actors to change one word, so I learned that kind of discipline.
"Cameron Crowe was also important on 'Jerry Maguire.' He's the one who really pushed me into the director's door. He said, 'You have to do this,' because as an actor I'm very involved with the story."
Without question, Hunt gained an even greater respect for writers and directors after stepping into those shoes for "Return To Me." In fact, her role as the mother of five kids in the film in a strange way made the transition even more real.
"I think I'll be a better actor next time out," she said, laughing. "It's kind of like childbirth -- now I know what my mother went through."