By Kristin Marguerite Doidge
Two legendary picture editors will be honored with Career Achievement Awards Friday on Jan. 18 as part of the American Cinema Editors’ (ACE) 75th Annual ACE Eddie Awards.
Maysie Hoy, ACE, and Paul Hirsch, ACE, will be recognized for their outstanding contributions to film editing. The event, originally scheduled for Jan. 18 but postponed due to the Eaton/Palisades fires in January, has evolved into a fundraiser to support people impacted by the fires. In addition to recognizing editors in its 14 competitive categories, the organizers said they hoped the event will be “filled with purpose, togetherness, and recognition” in a memo to ACE members.
Both Hoy and Hirsch forged fruitful and enduring relationships with figures from the New Hollywood era in Brian de Palma and George Lucas, and Robert Altman, respectively. Hirsch was born in New York City and spent part of his childhood in Paris. He’s edited over 40 films, including 11 for de Palma (including “Blow Out” and “Carrie”) and three for John Hughes (including “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”), as well as Lucas’ first “Star Wars” film, for which he received an Academy Award in 1978. He earned his second Oscar nomination and an ACE Eddie award for his work on “Ray” in 2005. He retired in 2018 and authored the book, “A Long Time Ago in a Cutting Room Far, Far Away” in 2019.
Hoy, who hails from Vancouver, studied improvisational theatre in San Francisco, and upon returning to Vancouver, she formed “The Good Will Store,” an improvisational company, and became the artistic director. During this time, she was cast in Altman’s “McCabe & Mrs. Miller.” When the movie wrapped principal photography, she left for Los Angeles knowing only two people—a friend who offered her a place to stay, and Altman. For the next eight years, she learned the art of filmmaking by working for him in research, costume, and production design. She also acted in several of his films, then landed a job as an apprentice editor on his film “Buffalo Bill and the Indians,” igniting her lifelong passion for film editing.
Hoy continues to work on feature film projects, including “The Six Triple Eight” and “A Jazzman’s Blues” with director Tyler Perry, and she is on the Board of Directors of the Guild and ACE.
CineMontage caught up with both esteemed editors as they reflected on their achievements, favorite collaborations, and advice for the next generation.
CineMontage: Paul, how did your upbringing as the son of a painter—and Maysie, how did your background in improv theater—impact your approach to film editing, especially as the New Hollywood movement took hold?
Hirsch: As the son of a painter, I was raised with a love for and appreciation of the arts. I studied music at the High School of Music & Art in New York City. I played the tympani in the senior orchestra there. In college at Columbia, I majored in art history, so I was definitely interested in a career in something artistic. I applied to and was accepted at Columbia’s School of Architecture, but rethought the whole thing when I realized that after four more years, I would have only earned a second bachelor’s degree.
It was 1966, and the French New Wave in film had captured my imagination. I decided to try to get into the movie business. I started at the bottom, as a gofer, and by the time I was 23, I was the editor of a micro-budget movie called “Hi, Mom!” directed by Brian De Palma. My connection to the New Hollywood was coincidental, as I was about the same age as these young directors who were changing the industry. Through Brian, I met Lucas, Spielberg, Coppola, and Scorsese, as well as less prominent names such as Larry Kasdan, Paul Schrader, Carrol Ballard, and Michael Ritchie.
Hoy: The basis of improv theater is trust. And improv helps me to be in the moment. You can’t think about what happened yesterday or what you’re having for dinner later. If you’re not in the moment, it affects how you see things. It also helps you in the cutting room. I’ve taught an improv class at the Guild with the Pan Pacific Asian Steering Committee because in our culture, as Asians, we’re brought up not to express our feelings and not to live in the moment.
It was interesting. You could see the people that were holding back, and they realized, ‘I guess I’ve got to work on giving up control.’ I tell people that in this business, you can’t control it. Once you try to control it, that’s when you get disappointed. You have to go with the flow, and that’s what life is about, too. I think being spontaneous is an honest feeling—and that’s what we bring to our projects—our honesty and truthfulness.
CineMontage: As you reflect on your illustrious careers, what achievements are you most proud of?
Hirsch: Asking for my proudest achievements is easy to answer: The most successful ones. They are the ones that the greatest number of people saw and had the greatest impact on the culture. “Star Wars” and “Mission: Impossible” have impacted the entire globe.
Hoy: My proudest achievement is actually my children, above all, because I’m a working mother, and to raise two boys that are super cool human beings, that’s difficult. I’m also most proud because they’re both working in the business. But in terms of projects, I would say “The Joy Luck Club.” That in and of itself, the story, and my relationship with the director Wayne Wang was really special.
CineMontage: What about your relationship/collaboration with directors (De Palma, Hughes, Lucas, Altman) and other editors has been most helpful to you as you navigated cutting films in various genres?
Hirsch: All those directors treated me with respect, and collaborated with me in the best sense. They welcomed my participation, no matter the genre. The editor is the individual with whom the director has the longest and closest working relationship. The films that turned out to be unsuccessful were, for the most part, directed by people whose personality prevented them from listening to others.
Hoy: There are several mentors I’ve had, like Danny Greene (who has since passed away)—he cut “MASH” and “Blazing Saddles”—and I was fortunate enough to be his assistant. He gave me the confidence to edit. And definitely Altman. If I had not met him, I certainly would not be getting this award, let alone be talking to you, let alone be here in Los Angeles. And I think that with Bob, I would ask him, “so Bob, what do you want when I cut this movie?” He’d say, “Just find the good stuff.” I think that the “good stuff” is what feels right. And that goes back to the improv—I think that certainly when you’re working with people like that, there’s a trust factor. And those are the best collaborators. They sit back and they listen to what you have to say.
CineMontage: How would you describe the role of a picture editor to someone just coming up in the field today?
Hirsch: I would describe it the same way to anyone that asked: If the screenplay is the recipe, and the filming is the collecting of the ingredients, the editor is the chef who prepares the meal. For the most part, I found editing to be extremely satisfying. It’s a joy to be part of a team, and to watch the small steps and suggestions that I made add up to something significant to millions of people.
Hoy: I think that for anybody that’s discouraged about where their career is, just remember that the right time will come. And you have to be prepared for that moment. I truly believe that pictures find me, not the other way around.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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