Cars:

Bonnie Hunt as “Sally Carrera”

by Lynn B

In the new Disney/Pixar film Cars, Bonnie Hunt voices Sally, a hot little Porsche who is really a mother hen caretaker for her fellow cars stuck in the boonies town of Radiator Springs. Actress/Writer/Director Hunt started out her working world career as a nurse so her helpful nature may come naturally. You might remember Bonnie as Renee Zellweger’s witty sis in Jerry Maguire or as the mom in the fun Beethoven movies and most recently as Kate Baker, Steve Martin’s wife and mom to his brood in both Cheaper by the Dozen and the sequel Cheaper by the Dozen 2. From 2002 to 2004, the multi-talented artist directed, wrote and stared in the popular ABC series “Life with Bonnie”.

At Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Charlotte, North Carolina, reporters watched cars arrive for the big Memorial Day weekend races while talking with many of the actors giving verbal life to all the cute, computer-animated vehicles in this fun new film. Bonnie sat down in our Sky Box high above the race prep action below and give us some wacky road trip memories, latest career moves and how she identifies with pretty Sally’s desire to leave the rat race for the down home charm of a small town..

AGW: Were you a Nascar fan?

Bonnie: A fan, no. I didn’t know anything about Nascar. I’d heard of it. But, this is pretty humbling view isn’t it? [looking down at the huge trucks laden with race cars arriving below] Look at this.

AGW: Yeah. It’s pretty awesome. What kind of car do you drive in real life?

Bonnie: I drive a ’61 Buick Skylark convertible. I love my car.

AGW: Cool! Are you the kind of person who matches your personality with the car you drive?

Bonnie: I think so, kind of yeah. The car is kind of an extension of us in America. I mean, that’s how the advertising provokes us. In Los Angeles, you think more probably? In the old neighborhood, your car was sometimes better than your house. That’s where you put your money and your kind of apparent prestige. When we were younger, certainly.

AGW: You’ve done voice work before [as Rosie the Spider in A Bug’s Life and as Flint, a Scare Simulation engineer in Monsters, Inc]. Do you enjoy this kind of work.. or working with Pixar?

Bonnie: When I first met Pixar I felt I met this creative oasis in the middle of a business that I dreamed of being in as a little girl. I just wanted to be a storyteller my whole life. Once in a while you meet somebody who gets it. When I first worked at Pixar over tens years ago and each movie takes four or five years – this is my third film with them – there is just a lot of talent there and a respect of talent. And it’s all about story and character and the process and nurturing it. And besides, these people are obviously tenacious and passionate and responsible. They are great storytellers. So, I do these movies because I love working with them.

AGW: When they tell you you are playing a hot Porsche, does that help you understand your character right away?

Bonnie: Well, from the very beginning, when John [Lasseter of Pixar] first called me, we didn’t even talk about what type of car it would be. We just talked character, which is so true to Pixar’s passion. So, whether you are a bug, a monster, a toy or a car or a fish and you’re in a Pixar film, you’re going to have a heart and soul and dimension. Both technically, artistically and emotionally.

AGW: You are sort of the leading lady. Did the model of car sort of evolve out of that discussion?

Bonnie: I don’t know if John always intended to have a Porsche, I’m sure they had a lot of ideas in mind. He was definitely a car geek growing up and he’s still fascinated with cars -- that’s just who John is. I bet a lot of it had to do with his dream type of cars and who he could get clearance from, and who would be OK with it and who would collaborate and all that stuff. And how authentic he could be, which is always a big thing for him as well.

AGW: Sally is a lawyer in L.A. who tosses it all in for a quiet life in the boonies. Can you identify with that choice?

Bonnie: I think there is a point where you go, ‘Y’know, I’ve been running for a long time. And what’s it all about?’ We all sort of go through that and I’ve definitely been going through that in my own life, so I could really relate to it with Sally. We can kind of accept the idea behind stopping to smell the roses and slowing down, but it’s always feels like a risk to actually do it.

AGW: Do you know women who have actually done that; left the big city rat race?

Bonnie: Well I gotta tell you, no matter where you go, there you are. I really think a lot of that rat race is in our own minds and we put the pressure on ourselves and I do it all the time. But there are moments when I am gardening where I am in Radiator Springs in my own garden.

AGW: Radiator Springs was on Route 66 but got by-passed by the big interstate highway. Do you have a childhood Route 66 or road trip memory you could share?

Bonnie: I just remember my dad would usually light up a Winston and the air conditioning would be on, the windows would be up and it would be like a cancer oven. (Laughs.) One time my mother was in the back seat and there were six or seven of us kids. We were all smushed in the station wagon and we were going to Bassbreak, Indiana. He flicked the cigarette into the back of the car and my mother’s looking for this lit cigarette and they were yelling at each other. It was literally ten minutes of the funniest [comedy] material I ever heard in my life. I was like 12 and I could see the humor and the brilliance in their argument. The humor always came out in every argument.

AGW: Pretty wild trip. You are in an upcoming movie with a weird title. What exactly is I Want Someone To Eat Cheese With?

Bonnie: Jeff Garland is a guy who is the executive producer of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” on HBO. I’ve known him since I was 19 years old. We were in the Comedy circuit in Chicago. I was working full time as a nurse at Northwestern University Hospital during the day in the cancer ward and hanging out at the theater at night and working there in the shows. Jeff was always hanging out there in the theaters and he used to say, ‘I just want someone to eat cheese with’ because Jeff was always overweight and had a heart of gold, but he could never find love. So, it’s about that time in his life.

AGW: You appear on a lot of talk shows on behalf of your films. Do you tailor your responses for each show?

Bonnie: Definitely. Absolutely right about that. There’s Jimmy Kimmel stuff. (Laughs.) It’s interesting, I do Dave [Letterman’s] show a lot and Jimmy I have known a long time, so if he needs me I’ll do that show. My humor always comes from the same place; family experience, but you do kind of edit what you are going to do on those shows.

some pictures on this page courtesy of and copyright Disney/Pixar, 2006
picture of Bonnie courtesy of and copyright ABC, 2006

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