Monday, July 14, 2008

Holly Hunter talks about the influence of music on Saving Grace


Not only is the Academy Awarding-winning Holly Hunter passionate about being a good actress, she's also passionate about good music.

On her TNT show Saving Grace, she portrays Grace Hanadarko, an Oklahoma City detective who goes through booze, men and solving crimes at an alarming rate. As Grace seems to be spiraling in circles she gets a chance to turn her life around when a rough-around-the-edges angel appears after she accidentally hits a pedestrian late one night while driving.

Grace's storyline gives Hunter a perfect opportunity to explore music that wades through the waters of various emotions and illuminates her character's inner struggle to find hope and redemption.

"We used Anthony and the Johnsons last year and we're using another song of theirs this year. I got turned onto them through Lou Reed. Since Lou Reed is such a collaborator, he's got his ear to the ground, you know, for new music" says Hunter, over the phone, "We're using 'Fistful of Love'...that's a song of theirs that Lou actually also sings on. We've kind of shaped one of the episodes around that song...it can be about Grace but it can also be about a crime. So the writers wrote this really fabulous script and we just finished shooting it."

Making music an intricate part of the storytelling process has become somewhat of a theme for the show. Another episode of Saving Grace will be centered around a song from The Pixies and Hunter is especially enjoyed how a Kid Rock song in episode two came together, "it's a perfect marriage between a scene and a song."

Hunter uses all kinds of music to help her get into character from Queen to The Black Keys to TV on the Radio but she said that "Lou Reed is and will continue to be my touchstone for this show."

You can watch the season two premiere of Saving Grace tonight at 10p.m. on TNT.

1 comment:

Brown Girl Gumbo said...

I've never watched Saving Grace, but just might tune in now after reading this great piece!

Keep up the great work!!