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This interview originally ran on July 17, 2020.
Were republishing it in honor of the new movieTwisters.
Twisteris an incredible 1996 action/disaster/rom-com/horror film about people who are extremely horny for tornadoes.
Hi Helen!You sound like youre in a wind tunnel.
I have a fan on, its hot in New York.I bet it is.
I dont want you to be sweating.
It would be apropos if I were in a wind tunnel for this conversation.[Laughs.]
Yes, it would.
What do you remember about the first time you heard aboutTwister?
Which is crazy, because Ive never been the lead in a big, fancy movie before.
But I guess I just didnt know what I could really contribute acting-wise.
It didnt take much.
There was a quote fromhim where he said, I wanted Helen because she reminds me of a whirlwind.
She can boss people around.
She has a strong persona, which I like.
Do you think thats a fair assessment of you?[Laughs.]
I can boss people around?
I can act like I can boss people around, for sure.
So that was a nice, slightly familiar thing.
Phil Hoffman, whos gone, sadly.
Joey Slotnick, whos still my good friend.
The shoot went on forever, and it was really brutal, physically.
In the way that movies can be, especially when youre younger, we all got really close.
Id written it for him,and then he won an Oscar.
And I was like, Well, I have this small movie.
And he was very sweet about it, but all booked up.
And same with Joey Slotnick, who I just saw in New York right before the pandemic.
Jan wisely just chose really interesting people who did really interesting things.
We all found each other and played cards, just all night, night after night.
When was the last time you spoke to Bill?I dont know.
But whenever Id see him, he was always excited.
There should be a sequel!
He was a champion of that.
He was very enthusiastic, and excited to be in the movie.
His enthusiasm was one of the best qualities a person can have.
Theres been a lot written about the horrors on set.
What specifically sticks out in your mind regarding the intensity of the shoot?[Laughs.]
Tomorrow must be easier.
And then thered be a jet engine …
I dont remember the easy part of the shoot.
And then wed have a scene inside, but it was 110 degrees.
And Jan de Bont theres a reason his movies look so cool.
Which is what you want in a filmmaker.
Do I have to?
I dont know how the science fiction of redoing your life [works].
Jami Gertz and I flew there together the first day.
We were both ambivalent about leaving our lives at home, and I really was super-fond of her.
Im not sure if I want to do that.
Both as characters and actors on set, we just kind of linked arms.
I liked her a lot.
She got pummeled, too.
But the movie looks so cool!
To think that I was the central character in a giant blockbuster …
I know each thing in your work leads to the next thing.
Im really lucky he hired me.
I just knew it wouldnt be fun to watch and I didnt want to play it.
The technical term would be yucky.
I just raised my hand and said, Theres a better way.
And nobody said, No, you have to.
He was telling a group of filmmakers at film school to get in an acting class.
What do you remember about the day you were temporarily blinded?[Laughs.]
Let the record show that you brought this up.
I dont want this to be a list of complaints.
I think Jan, unfortunately, got saddled with the sunniest, most blue-sky tornado season in Oklahoma history.
Does that make sense?
So that when he brought the image down, you could still see Bill and I on the truck.
And I have very squinty, sensitive eyes anyway.
And I remember going, I can barely keep my eyes open!
And I said, Not really.
But it was not a big deal, ultimately.
We put on some dark glasses and we walked around like the mice inCinderellafor a while.
But it went away.
I guess they fry your corneas off and then they grow back.
Well, thats terrifying.Its horrible!
It wasnt during production, it was before we started.
Somebody said there was some sort of tornado activity close by.
And there was a ditch nearby.
So we were just listening to whoever was driving me.
And the thing I remember was that the sky really does go a sick color green.
Not sick in the way that kids use it today.
Sick, like, a nauseating color of green.
And the barometric pressure changes, so your body feels all wrong so quickly.
I remember feeling sick, and then it passed.
And I thought, Boy, am I not like my character!
I am not the guy whos gonna run toward this feeling.
Im the guy wholl be in my trailer, driving away.
There was another incident where you got hit in the head during filming, by a car door.
That is so brutal.
Lets just leave it at that.
Well just let him have the last word, that it happened because I was clumsy.
Id prefer to leave that sitting on the table.
Would you describe yourself as clumsy?
You seem very physically adept in the movie!Yeah, I wouldnt!
You know that one?
It was a beautiful spot, unlike any other place we were.
Deep green trees and hills, which I didnt see a lot of while we were there.
And I thought the scene was really well-written, and Bill was a fantastic actor.
We got to really everybody appreciated everybodys work.
Its totally a rom-com.
We drive each other crazy.
They dont get back together, then they do.
I said, Screw you!
Dont get technical with me!
]You know, she had a point.
That is a good point, actually.
Why didnt she have a ponytail?Then all the hair wouldnt go flying!
And that the other actors that he chose were such good actors.
That was really lucky for me.
And it was right afterTwister.
So I guess he had that to go on, andMad About You.
And I understand why he wouldnt see me as the right person for that job.
I dont know if the studio pushed him to do it, or what happened.
But I got in the door and I auditioned.
You dont know what the effect of what you do can be.
But I know I made really good friends from it.
And that it still holds up!
I like big action movies, but theyre not all I watch.
But thats not the case for almost all ofTwister.
And I think thats because he didnt rely on a lot of visual effects.
He really threw shit at us, and it looks amazing.
I had occasion to watch it not long ago, after not seeing it for a decade.
Its like getting on a giant roller coaster.
And it never stops.
Its an amazing movie, and hes an incredible filmmaker.
Publicist:We just have time for one more question.
What was the occasion?
Why watch it now?Um …
I was watching it with some friends for reasons I wont talk about right now.
But it was cool.
I watched it on my front lawn, actually.
I got a little projector.
And for a bunch of reasons, I decided to watch it.
But it held up!
But thank you guys for screening it.
I hope people have fun watching it.
Well thanks so much, Jodie.Did you just call me Jodie?
Well, theres nothing more its all in the tweet.
I was just looking at that question so thats why I said Jodie.Thats okay.
Have a good day.
