Hallie Foote was only 10 years old when To Kill a Mockingbird was published, and only 12 when her father, screenwriter Horton Foote, adapted Harper Lee's Pulitzer Prize winner into one of the great films of all time—winning Foote the 1963 Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.

Hallie Foote and her late father

Hallie Foote and her late father

Hallie, now 62, says she paid little attention to her father's work as a child, but she certainly has grown to appreciate it—and his vast body of work—over the years, calling him "the great American writer." Now, on the 50th anniversary of the release of the film, she is reminisces about Mockingbird, her father's legacy, and why his work resonates with Christians. She spoke to CT as part of a publicity campaign for a special screening of the film by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

I have a very serious question to start our conversation. I understand you played Grandma Lois in Paranormal Activity 3?

Yes, I was! (laughing)

What would your dad say to that?

He would laugh! I had a really good time. And I think that's what he would always want me to do.

Fair enough. Let's talk about To Kill a Mockingbird. How would you describe this movie's legacy?

I think it's remarkable. It's a wonderful movie, and I love the book. It's a theme that's timeless and universal, and people always identify with the things in the book and the movie. And the protagonist, Atticus Finch, represents something about the best in human nature. I think it will continue to resonate for a very long time.

Do you have a favorite scene in the film?

Yes. I love the scene when the children are in bed talking about their mother, and Atticus can hear them from on the porch: "Do you remember her? Do you love her?"

What would you say the film is ultimately about?

It's a very complicated thing, because underlying everything in this story is the issue of race and how it's played out in this country. I think she [Lee] explores that brilliantly. But it's also about a father teaching values to his children by example. He's not the perfect father, and he makes mistakes, but he always tries to do the right thing. And he really loves his children, and shows that even when you don't have a lot, if you have the love of a parent, it goes a long way.

You were about 10 years old when the book came out. Do you remember your dad working on the screenplay for the film?

Not really. We were just kids, doing other things. But I do remember that when my dad got nominated for the Academy Award, he didn't even go out to Hollywood. We all sat around and watched it on TV, and my brother went to bed and said, "He's going to lose." We just didn't think he'd win, because Lawrence of Arabia was winning everything. So when my dad won, it was a nice surprise. [In 1963, Lawrence won Best Picture and Best Director, but Mockingbird won Best Actor (for Gregory Peck) and Best Adapted Screenplay (for Foote).]

Article continues below

As you grew older, did you talk to your dad about what it was like writing this particular screenplay?

Yes. He told me that at first he wasn't inclined to write it because he just doesn't want to adapt someone else's work. He just wanted to do his own things. But my mother was always great at counseling him. She read the novel first and told my dad, "You've got to read this." When he read it, he realized he probably should try to adapt it.

And then when he met Harper, he just fell in love with her; he said they had this instant shorthand because they both came from small towns in the South. He understood the people she was writing about. And he read a review of the book that was titled "Scout in the Wilderness," comparing the character of Scout to the character of Huck Finn. Dad said that just unlocked something for him, and that's when he really kind of figured out how to do the story.

Gregory Peck and Mary Badham, who played Scout

Gregory Peck and Mary Badham, who played Scout

Did Harper Lee come to your home a lot, or what it mostly conversations on the phone, or what?

I think she came to the house maybe once, but she basically stayed away. She just said, "I don't want to see it until it's done." Because once they had met, she had total faith in him. And you know, they stayed fast friends until my father's death. They used to talk at least once a week on the phone. They were close to one another. She's a wonderful person.

Did you spend any time on the set when they made the movie?

No. I was a kid in school, and my parents didn't really want me around all that stuff.

Many Christians have embraced the themes in your dad's work. Why do you think that is?

That's a good question. My father said that he didn't choose what he wrote about; it sort of chose him. I always felt there was a kind a metaphysical component to his writing, almost a mystical component to his writing, because I think it was something that came out of him in a way. Do I think it intentionally had a spiritual component to it? No, I don't think so. But he wasn't afraid of that side of things. He didn't try to push it away, and it's certainly there in his work. I think that's why it resonates with people.

Article continues below

Now your parents were Christian Science. Correct?

Yes.

Would you call them strict adherents or …

They were very religious, very strict.

So how might that faith have manifested itself in your dad's writing?

Well, I think it can influence you because it's something you believe in strongly. But I don't think he was what you call someone who used his writing to proselytize or influence. He was very private about his religion, as was my mother. So, if anything, again, he's kind of like Atticus. He just lived by example. Just believing what he believed, and he wrote every day, and he wrote about things that he thought were important to write about. So if faith influences you that way, that's great. Do you know what I'm saying? In other words, it may be through faith—or through whatever anyone believes in—that he was blessed with this gift, and he used it. He didn't abuse it.

Which of your dad's screenplays was his favorite?

He would say that's like asking who's your favorite child, so he wouldn't give you an answer to that. But I'll tell you a few of my favorites. Tender Mercies, a wonderful screenplay. And his Orphans' Home Cycle screenplays, particularly one called 1918. And Trip to Bountiful. And of course To Kill a Mockingbird. They're all kind of wonderful in their own way.

What can you tell me about your dad's mode of writing?

My mom was very much his sounding board when he was alive, but after she passed away in 1992, I kind of replaced her in that way. He'd read things to me and ask for my opinion. We were always close, but we even got closer when my mom passed away.

He always wrote in longhand, and he could write any time. When it hit him, he would just go into a room, close the door, and start writing. And he'd kind of wander out and want to visit when he finished. Sometimes he would hand me the stuff he was working on, but he had terrible handwriting! But I got pretty good at reading it, and then I'd type things up for him to read. He was always amazed at that, at how you could quickly type of something on the computer and edit it.

So, you'd edit your dad's work?

No, I'd edit in terms of his editing—so if he made changes, I could do it quickly on the computer. I think in his head, he was back in the '50s and '60s when you typed things out and there were carbon copies. He'd look at the computer and go, "That's miraculous." I would try to teach him how to use a computer, but when he'd sit down and I'd turn around, he'd be gone. He just had no interest in learning how to use it.

Article continues below
Robert Duvall as Boo Radley

Robert Duvall as Boo Radley

Robert Duvall was in a number of your dad's movies (most notably as Boo Radley in Mockingbird and as Mac Sledge in Tender Mercies). I interviewed Duvall a couple of years ago, and he couldn't say enough wonderful things about your dad.

My dad adored him, and they were very close. Bob is a dear friend, and we talk frequently and see each other as much as we can.

Why was he such a good fit for your dad's stories?

I think he's one of the great American actors, without a doubt. He's like a chameleon, in the best sense. It's interesting how he got his role in To Kill a Mockingbird. My mother saw him in a play of my dad's called The Midnight Caller. He played an alcoholic, and my mother told my dad, "You got to come see this actor." They were amazed at his talent. He's never had a drink in his life, and he's playing this total alcoholic. He had studied bums in the bowery; he's like a sponge. He takes things in and uses them, and yet he's so relaxed that you almost don't know he's acting. Which is, I think, the highest compliment you can pay an actor.

What's the best compliment you've ever heard about your dad?

I've heard a lot of them, but the best thing I can say about him is he was a wonderful father. And my sister and my brothers all feel the same way. He was a good friend to people, and he was a wonderful human being. I think he's the great American writer.