Helen Hunt & Jan de Bont Share Memories From ‘Twister’ & Working With Bill Paxton

Ahead of the new movie Twisters, which premieres in theaters on July 19, 2024, many fans are rewatching the 1996 classic Twister, starring Helen Hunt and the late Bill Paxton. Hunt and the director Jan de Bont recently got together to talk about filming the original movie (the remastered version is now out on 4K Ultra HD and digital). Hunt gave a lot of credit to de Bont for choosing the actors and the writers, plus being an all-around amazing director and filmmaker.

Warner Brothers/courtesy Everett Collection

He responded, “When I looked at the picture again before we started [remastering it], I was actually surprised at how timely the movie still is. It hasn’t aged at all because nature doesn’t age. And the way they’re dressed is the same way they dress now. Everything felt like it could have happened now. So, to me, it felt still very contemporary. The lack of artificiality makes it timeless.”

Warner Brothers/Everett Collection

As they both rewatched the film more recently, they were asked which scenes stood out today. Of course, de Bont felt that the cow scene is one of the most iconic in the film and that it needed to be there to make people laugh. He added, “That one line cracks up everyone. It doesn’t matter what country you’re in; they all laugh, they all smile. Every time someone mentions the movie, they bring that up. I think it’s become an iconic sequence that represents the movie because it’s a little bit like what the film is. It has very intensive scenes and very lighter scenes. Intensive drama and happiness. It’s an incredible reward for a filmmaker that they pick something that is not a giant effect scene.”

Where Are They Now? The Cast of 'Twister'

Find out which of the stars have sadly passed away.

Remind

Hunt also spoke of her chemistry with the late Paxton and how they worked together so well. She shared, “I think just by who we are, we had chemistry. Not because we were similar but because we were different. And we both could see the potential for what could be really fun about this and how to keep that. It’s a tried and true thing, ‘You drive me crazy, but I’m in love with you.'” Hunt also gave props to Jami Gertz and said that “she was part of the secret sauce that made it fun to watch. Maybe more than people realize.” Read their entire interview here and watch Twister on Max anytime.

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February 2021

1990s Rom-Coms

Pop some popcorn and cozy up to feel-good movies and TV shows from a generation ago.

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