Holly Hunter: Serious Mom Role

Holly Hunter, best known for her critically acclaimed performances in movies such as "Broadcast News" and "The Piano," is once again getting rave reviews for her portrayal of a frustrated single mother dealing with her rebellious daughter in the new film "Thirteen."

Hunter visited The Early Show Friday to discuss her new movie role that focuses on teen girls living in a world of consumerism, sex, drugs and aggression.

Hunter says she was compelled by "Thirteen" because of its universal and human story told with the energy of teenagers.

The actress says she was also fascinated by her character's struggle to hang onto her daughter who is destructively trying to find her own identity. In the movie, Tracy is a girl who turns thirteen and decides to become rebellious.

She teams up with savvy schoolmate Evie and experiment in drugs, sex and mutilation. Soon, the young teen discovers the personal price she must pay for her brand of growth.

The mother, Mel, Hunter says also has a lot of growing up to do. Although Mel tries to be responsible, she loses her focus when she tries to also be a friend to her daughter. Hunter says Mel bears no resemblance to her personality or circumstances.

But, she says, the role allowed her to explore a parent's struggle to gain or maintain a strong voice in their child's life in a culture of youth. Hunter explains there is a tremendous confusion today about how to be a parent and also how to be a girl.

To research her role, Hunter spent time with the teenager co-writer's real-life single mother who helped to inspire the creation of Mel. Hunter says getting to know the inspiration for Mel was helpful in establishing the role's credibility.

Some Facts About Holly Hunter

• Holly Hunter was born in Conyers, Georgia on March 20, 1958 as the youngest of seven children
• Hunter began acting in her high school drama club
• In 1981, Hunter made her film acting debut in "The Burning"; she also made her Off-Broadway debut in "Battery"
• In 1982, Hunter made her Broadway debut in Beth Henley's "Crimes of the Heart"
• In 1983, Hunter made her television-movie debut in CBS' "Svengali"
• In 1987, Hunter had her first starring role in the Coen brothers "Raising Arizona"; she earned a Best Actress Academy Award nomination for her role in "Broadcast News"
• In 1989, Hunter won an Emmy for playing a fictionalized Jane Roe in the drama "Roe v. Wade"
• In 1993, Hunter won a Best Actress Oscar for her role as the mute Ada in Jane Campion's "The Piano"; earned Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for her brief role as a secretary in "The Firm"; earned second Emmy as the title character in HBO's "The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader-Murdering Mom"
• In 1995, Hunter returned to the big screen as a police detective in "Copycat" and as a woman returning "Home for the Holidays"
• In 1997, Hunter portrayed an angel in Danny Boyle's unsuccessful "A Life Less Ordinary"
• In 1998, Hunter had a leading role in "Livin' Out Loud";
• In 1999, Hunter played a recovering alcoholic romanced by a recovering drug addict in "Jesus' Son"
• In 2000, Hunter acted in the ensemble of the female-driven "Things You Can Tell Just By Looking at Her"; she had a role as a motion picture executive in Mike Figgis' experimental "Time Code"; Hunter re-teamed with the Coen brothers for "O Brother, Where Art Thou?"; and she earned an Emmy nomination for her portray of the wife of a union-organizer coal miner in the Showtime original "Harlan County War"
• In 2001, Hunter earned an Emmy nomination for her portray of Billie Jean King in the ABC movie "When Billie Beat Bobby"
• In 2003, Hunter was cast in the drama "Levity"