Helen Hunt: 'Winning an Oscar won't change your life'

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Helen Hunt says winning an Oscar didn't change her life.

The 56-year-old star was 34 when she won the Best Actress Oscar for the 1997 movie 'As Good As It Gets' but Helen explained that picking up the coveted award did not magically change her life.

She told The Guardian newspaper: "Often with women, there's a big dry spell afterwards. I heard an actress say that, for about a year you've got some wind at your back, but after that, you just go back to finding a good job. I don't think it's a big game-changer. It can be, but it's not like your worries are over in terms of getting good parts. I've had ups and downs. It was a dream come true, which is a great thing to be able to say; then you go back to work, trying to forge a career that's fulfilling."

However, Helen admitted she found the increased fame that comes with being an Oscar winner, difficult to deal with.

She said: "It was a very famous time. I felt quite nervous because I was being followed. I remember thinking: 'What if I can't turn this off? Am I always going to be walking to my car and there are people with cameras there? Does this last forever?'

"I don't think I have that kind of fame now. I haven't been, in my personal life, so intriguing that I'll always be that famous. I haven't tried to make that happen. I'd like to be well known so I can get more jobs, but it has quietened down."

Meanwhile, Helen welcomed daughter Makena Lei in 2004 and revealed the 15 year old is hoping to follow in her mother's Hollywood footsteps.

She said: "I can hardly say I don't understand. There's no point in me saying anything other than: 'I hope it's wonderful,' because she already loves it. I can't cure the endless, 'Will I work again?' thing that every actor has, including Meryl Streep. I'm always sure it's the last job."