Helen Hunt’s Best Roles

Helen Hunt has been a familiar face on our screens for decades, building a career that showcases incredible talent and versatility. She began as a child actor before blossoming into one of the biggest stars of the 1990s, dominating both television and the box office. Her ability to play intelligent, relatable, and resilient women has made her a fan favorite, and she brings a natural warmth and authenticity to every role she takes on.

Beyond her acclaimed acting, Hunt has also stepped behind the camera as a writer and director, further proving her deep understanding of storytelling. Whether she is making us laugh in a beloved sitcom, chasing storms in a blockbuster, or moving us to tears in a powerful drama, she consistently delivers performances that are both memorable and deeply human. Her body of work reflects a career filled with thoughtful choices and undeniable skill.

‘Cast Away’ (2000)

In this survival drama, Helen Hunt plays Kelly Frears, the devoted girlfriend of a FedEx systems analyst named Chuck Noland. Their loving, committed relationship is the heart of the story’s beginning, establishing what Chuck stands to lose. When his plane crashes over the Pacific Ocean, leaving him stranded on a deserted island, the memory of Kelly becomes his reason to live.

Her role is essential to the film’s emotional weight, as she represents the life and love that Chuck is fighting to get back to. The story also follows Kelly’s journey back home, where she must grapple with the grief of losing him and the difficult decision to eventually move on with her life. Her performance provides a poignant look at the other side of a survival story.

‘As Good as It Gets’ (1997)

Hunt delivers an award-winning performance as Carol Connelly, a single mother and waitress who is doing her best to raise a chronically ill son. She is the only server at her local diner who has the patience to deal with Melvin Udall, a brilliant but deeply offensive writer with severe obsessive-compulsive disorder. Her life is a constant struggle, leaving little room for anything else.

Her world is turned upside down when Melvin is forced to care for his neighbor’s dog and begins to draw Carol into his strange life. She becomes the unwilling center of a makeshift family, navigating a complicated relationship with a man who challenges and changes her. This moving and funny portrayal of a resilient woman earned Hunt an Academy Award for Best Actress.

‘The Waterdance’ (1992)

She plays Anna, a married woman involved in a serious affair with a writer named Joel. Their life together is abruptly shattered when Joel suffers an accident that leaves him paralyzed from the neck down. As he begins the long and arduous process of rehabilitation, Anna must confront the new reality of their relationship.

Her character is a key part of Joel’s emotional journey as he adapts to his new life in a ward with other men who have similar injuries. She grapples with her own feelings of love, guilt, and uncertainty about their future. The role is a powerful, early showcase of her dramatic talent in a film celebrated for its realistic portrayal of disability.

‘Pay It Forward’ (2000)

In this touching drama, she portrays Arlene McKinney, a single mother in Las Vegas working tirelessly at two jobs to provide for her son, Trevor. She is also a recovering alcoholic whose struggles have created a difficult and distant relationship with him. Her life is one of exhaustion and quiet desperation, with little hope for change.

Everything begins to shift when Trevor is inspired by a social studies assignment to start a goodwill movement called “pay it forward.” His project brings his new teacher into their lives, forcing Arlene to confront her past traumas and open herself up to the possibility of a better future. Her performance is a raw and honest look at a mother’s journey toward healing.

‘The Sessions’ (2012)

Hunt takes on the challenging role of Cheryl Cohen-Greene, a real-life sex surrogate. Her character is hired by Mark O’Brien, a poet and journalist who has spent most of his life in an iron lung due to polio. At age 38, he wishes to experience physical intimacy for the first time and seeks out Cheryl’s professional help.

The film handles its sensitive subject matter with grace and humor, largely due to her nuanced performance. She portrays Cheryl as a compassionate and skilled therapist who guides Mark through a series of sessions with professionalism and warmth. This brave and sensitive portrayal earned her a well-deserved Academy Award nomination.

‘Mad About You’ (1992–1999)

For seven seasons, Hunt charmed audiences as Jamie Buchman in this popular sitcom about a newly married couple navigating life in New York City. Jamie is a smart and witty public relations professional, and the show focuses on the small, funny, and relatable moments of her marriage to a documentary filmmaker named Paul.

The series was praised for its sharp writing and the incredible chemistry between its two leads. Hunt’s performance as the often funny, sometimes anxious, and always lovable Jamie became iconic. She perfectly captured the joys and frustrations of a modern relationship, winning four consecutive Emmy Awards for her work on the show.

‘Soul Surfer’ (2011)

In this inspiring true story, she plays Cheri Hamilton, the mother of Bethany Hamilton, a teenage surfing champion. The family’s idyllic life in Hawaii is shattered when Bethany loses an arm in a shark attack. Cheri must find the strength to support her daughter through this devastating and life-changing trauma.

Her character is a pillar of the family, providing unwavering love and encouragement as Bethany begins her long road to recovery. She and her husband lean on their faith and resilience to help their daughter not only heal but also find the courage to return to the water and compete as a surfer once again.

‘Bobby’ (2006)

This ensemble film tells the story of the hours leading up to the 1968 assassination of U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. Hunt is part of a large cast of characters whose lives intersect at the hotel on that fateful day. She plays Samantha, a well-off woman whose personal life is quietly unraveling.

Her storyline is one of many that paint a picture of America at a volatile moment in its history. The film explores the hopes and anxieties of a generation through the eyes of the people who were at the hotel for different reasons. Her performance contributes to the film’s tapestry of personal dramas set against a backdrop of national tragedy.

‘I See You’ (2019)

She stars in this twisty thriller as Jackie Harper, a psychologist whose family is falling apart. After her affair is discovered, her relationship with her detective husband and their teenage son is filled with anger and resentment. At the same time, strange things begin to happen in their home that they cannot explain.

As her husband investigates a local child abduction case, the bizarre events in their house escalate, revealing a shocking secret hidden within their walls. Her performance grounds the film’s suspense, portraying a woman consumed by guilt and fear as she tries to hold her family together while a hidden threat emerges.

‘Twister’ (1996)

Hunt stars as the brilliant and fearless storm chaser Dr. Jo Harding. Haunted by a childhood tragedy involving a tornado, Jo is now obsessed with developing an advanced weather alert system that could save lives. She leads a scrappy team of scientists who put themselves in the path of the most violent storms on Earth.

The plot kicks into high gear when her estranged husband, a former chaser himself, shows up to get their divorce papers signed during the biggest tornado outbreak in decades. He gets pulled back in for one last adventure, and she gets another shot at deploying her device. The role established her as a formidable action hero who could lead a massive summer blockbuster.

‘The Miracle Season’ (2018)

Based on a true story, this film features Hunt as Kathy Bresnahan, the tough but dedicated coach of a high school volleyball team. The team and the community are devastated when the star player and team captain, Caroline “Line” Found, is killed in an accident. The girls are left heartbroken and without a leader.

As the coach, she must rally her grieving players and help them find a reason to keep playing. She pushes them to overcome their immense sorrow and honor their friend’s memory by competing for the state championship. Her performance is the firm but compassionate heart of this inspiring story about loss and resilience.

‘What Women Want’ (2000)

In this romantic comedy, she plays Darcy McGuire, a sharp and successful advertising executive who is hired to be the new creative director at a top agency. Her hiring is a major threat to Nick Marshall, a cocky ad man who believes the job should have been his. She becomes his boss and his direct professional rival.

Darcy is the intelligent and confident woman whom Nick must learn to understand after a freak accident gives him the ability to hear women’s thoughts. He uses his new power to try to sabotage her, but he ends up falling for her instead. She is the perfect counterpart to his character’s journey of self-discovery.

‘Project X’ (1987)

She portrays Teri MacDonald, a graduate student who specializes in primate behavior. She takes a job at an Air Force base working with chimpanzees, and she develops a special bond with one of them, a chimp from Africa named Virgil whom she teaches sign language. She believes her work is purely for behavioral research.

Her world is turned upside down when she discovers that the chimps are being used in a secret and lethal experiment involving a flight simulator. Realizing the danger her animal friends are in, Teri risks everything to try to expose the project and save them before it is too late.

‘Ride’ (2014)

In a film she also wrote and directed, Hunt plays Jackie, an overprotective mother and editor at The New Yorker. When her son drops out of college to move to California and pursue his dream of becoming a surfer, she follows him across the country in a desperate attempt to bring him back home.

To better understand her son’s passion, Jackie decides to take surfing lessons from a local instructor. What begins as a misguided mission to control her son’s life turns into a personal journey of liberation and self-discovery. The film is a heartfelt story about a mother learning to let go.

‘Girls Just Want to Have Fun’ (1985)

In one of her early and memorable roles, she plays Lynne Stone, the fun-loving and rebellious new best friend of the film’s main character, Janey. When Janey, a quiet army brat, moves to a new Catholic high school in Chicago, Lynne quickly takes her under her wing and encourages her to break out of her shell.

Lynne is the catalyst who convinces Janey to follow her passion for dancing and secretly audition for a spot on the popular TV show ‘Dance TV’. She is a funny and loyal friend who helps Janey navigate high school, a new romance, and a snooty rival, all while rocking some iconic 80s fashion.

Tell us which Helen Hunt movie or show is your all-time favorite in the comments.