The ‘Star Trek: Starfleet Academy’ actress also discussed working with Anna Paquin, who played her daughter in ‘The Piano’
Credit: Michael Tullberg/Getty; Jan Chapman Prods/Ciby 2000/Miramax/Kobal/Shutterstock
NEED TO KNOW
- Holly Hunter reflected on her role in 1993’s The Piano, for which she won Best Actress at the Oscars in 1994
- In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, Hunter also discussed working with Anna Paquin, who played her daughter in The Piano and won Best Supporting Actress for it at age 11
- The Broadcast News actress currently stars in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, a new science-fiction series on Paramount+
Holly Hunter is approaching Oscar season this year by looking back on her award-winning performance in The Piano.
Hunter, 67, reflected on her role as pianist Ada McGrath in the 1993 historical romance film during an exclusive interview with PEOPLE at the Star Trek: Starfleet Academy FYC event on March 10 in Hollywood, Calif.
"Oh, I loved having the experience with my cast, that Jane [Campion] was there and Jan Chapman and Anna Paquin," she said.
"It was cool to experience it with them as opposed to being alone. And it was fantastic to be there with Jane, who conceived of it and directed it and edited it," Hunter added about the film’s director. "And of course I was in love with the character, so that made it really special."
Credit: Jan Chapman Prods/Ciby 2000/Miramax/Kobal/Shutterstock
Paquin, 43, played Hunter’s on-screen daughter, Flora, in her first major acting role. At the Academy Awards in 1994, Hunter won Best Actress and Paquin won Best Supporting Actress, with the latter becoming the second-youngest competitive Oscar winner at age 11, behind Paper Moon's Tatum O'Neal, who was 10.
Campion, 71, won for Best Original Screenplay, and the film was nominated for Best Picture. She also became the first female director to win a Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival for the movie.
The Broadcast News actress also sang her former costar’s praises.
"She's extraordinary and I've loved my time with Anna over the years," Hunter told PEOPLE. "I haven't seen her recently because I haven't really spent a lot of time in L.A."
"I want the work to come back to LA," she continued. "I want the industry to be all vivacious."
On Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, Hunter plays Nahla Ake, the Chancellor of Starfleet Academy and Captain of the U.S.S. Athena. She leads a group of cadets trying to become Starfleet officers.
Credit: Michael Gibson/Paramount+
“I was really drawn to the character as soon as I read her, and I think it's captivating to think about playing somebody who's over 400 years old,” Hunter previously told PEOPLE about her part on the new series.
“And I have never been attracted to movies or plays that sent me out a big message or claimed a moral correctness, a moral righteousness in the world," she added about watching the original show with her dad when it first began in the 1960s. "I've never really liked projects that delivered that kind of message. But I love the moral universe of Star Trek.”
Credit: Michael Tullberg/Getty
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The show, which premiered in January 2026, also stars Paul Giamatti, Robert Picardo, Tig Notaro, Gina Yashere, Sandro Rosta, Bella Shepard, Kerrice Brooks, Karim Diané, George Hawkins and Zoë Steiner.
Season 1 of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is out now on Paramount+.
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