Holly Hunter, Hard as Nails

There's a lot or raw emotion there, and you certainly bring
it out well. Was that one of the reasons you said yes to the
role?

Absolutely. I was really impressed with the fact that the
character had three dimensions, especially with procedurals, I
think the thing that can take precedent is the crime, the
environment. In this show it's the characters that are going to
keep me captivated for a long time.

Were you hesitant or choosy about taking on a lead in a
series?

I've always been a little choosy, but I have to say that when I
read it, I said to myself, "I don't care if this is a movie,
a miniseries, a television show, or whatever. I don't want
anybody else to play this part!" [
Laughs

]

Well, you're also executive producer. How much of say do you
get in story development or the story arcs that we see?

[Writer] Nancy Miller is coming at this from a real inside
place. Grace is her creation, and I trust her. She has
extraordinary instincts and she assembles a beautiful staff of
writers that are very imaginative. Sometimes I have an idea or
tell them something I'd like to explore, but for the most
part those guys do what they are going to do. I think the show
is finding itself all the time. It's kind of a complicated show
to put up. It's working on a lot of different levels, and I
think the show continues to get stronger as we go on.

What's the hardest thing about playing Grace?

The hardest thing is the hours. The easiest thing about playing
Grace is that I love her.

Overall, the show's a big hit. What do you think viewers are
connecting to?

I don't know. I can never anticipate what viewers are
connecting with. I connect with all of her, really. I think
that it's essential that the connection begins with oneself. If
you are playing a part, it has to start there. It can't start
with some outside result that I am thinking about or how people
perceive this. It has to start with me. And I think it's one of
the reasons the show has some honesty, because it begins with
Nancy Miller, when she started writing the character. And then
it transfers to the actors. All of the actors have a genuine
hookup with who they are playing -- a genuine
curiosity.

That's a good thing. Now, about the spirituality aspect of
the show, I would imagine that taking on a role about tough gal
who is guided by a gruff angel named Earl, that you yourself
might be a bit introspective. Are you? I mean, do you ponder
deep questions or even believe that angels are out there ...
guiding us?

Well, I certainly consider myself a spiritual person. I mean, I
think that acting can be a spiritual thing and anybody who is
endeavoring to create -- being a mother, being a father --
those are spiritual roles that we can have in life if that's
how we think about them, and I do. Angels? I don't really
believe in literal angels, but I certainly believe in people
that guide us. You have to be open to be guided. But there are
mentors for us. There are teachers. I think in a way those
people can absolutely be considered angels.

Yes. I usually get a "sign" or an interesting bit of
synchronicity or sequence of events.

Yeah, you know, I think that's kind of undeniable. There is an
energy that we all contribute to.