Helen Hunt

Helen Hunt is getting her Revenge. The Oscar-winning actress (nominated this year for The Sessions) directed the ABC primetime soap's March 10 episode, in which the late Amanda is buried. How did the gig come about? "Helen is a legitimate fan and was so knowledgeable about the show," executive producer Melissa Loy says. "We were big fans of the Californication episode she directed, and of course the actors were over the moon to work with her."

"One of the most challenging things for Helen was making sure what Emily [Emily VanCamp] was truly feeling comes out, because so much of what that character shares is masked," says the episode's cowriter Nikki Toscano. "Emily has to bury one of her only friends without letting everyone else know their true identities." This means maintaining a stone face as she looks down at her real name on a headstone right next to her father's grave. That's acting!

Subscribe to TV Guide Magazine now!