McHi grad is now Hollywood's hottest director

From a pile of dirt, she used to make mountains. From bouts of summertime boredom, she used to make new games. And from humble South Texas beginnings, Catherine Hardwicke made a Hollywood career.

Almost every week, Festiva's Hometown Hollywood profiles local actors, dancers, musicians and directors who've left the comfort of Valley life in pursuit of their dreams. And though their success has varied, Hardwicke has arguably become the most recognized name of the bunch. But how a McAllen girl whose father was a farmer and mother was schoolteacher went on to become an acclaimed director is a question that even Hardwicke herself has trouble answering. Her family and friends, however, have their theories.

• EXCLUSIVE PHOTO GALLERY See photos from Catherine's days at McHi
• THE FESTIVA INTERVIEW Listen to what Catherine had to say about making 'Twilight.'
• FESTIVA TV: THE MORNING AFTER Check out the madness at the premiere of Twilight at Hollywood USA.

SEEING THE POSSIBILITIES

A giant pile of dirt is not the kind of item a person expects to supplement the phrase "Merry Christmas." But that was the case for Hardwicke and her two younger siblings when the year was not kind to farmers like their dad. She never let the dump truck dump on their chances of an enjoyable Christmas, however.

"What that made us do is make something out of that dirt. Instead of just getting a pre-packaged toy, we went out and made it into mountains and hills and caves, and took rocks and leaves and made it into a whole little town," Hardwicke remembers.

Cousin Sally Brace remembers fondly the days when her elder relative, whom she describes as more of an older sister, would invite the younger ones into her mind, which seemed to have an endless stock of games and activities.

And even at a time when young people seem to lose their identities the most, high school, Hardwicke managed to hold on to who she was at heart: an oddly creative person.

Val LaMantia-Peisen met Hardwicke in middle school. Later, she was on the girls swim team with Hardwicke at McAllen High School, where Hardwicke was known as much for her offbeat character as she was for wearing hats with birds and nests in them.

"She always wanted to stand out in a crowd, and she did it well," LaMantia-Peisen said. Hardwicke graduated from McHi in 1973.

Still, the girl with chlorine green-tinged hair was a popular student; peers reacted well to her creativity, the McAllen resident said. It was the '70s, after all.

Hardwicke's flair for the weird and eye for all things strange remain her trademark. She has never let the Hollywood norm scare her away from sporting long braids or different colors in her hair.

Marching to her own tune recently landed Hardwicke an award at Elle magazine's 15th annual Women in Hollywood tribute, where honorees included Nicole Kidman, Halle Barry and Jane Fonda, among others.

Her successes have reinforced a single point into Hardwicke's head, "A lot of times the most creative people come out of the most difficult circumstances," she said.

WORK, WORK, WORK

When Hardwicke left a cushy job as an architect in McAllen for Los Angeles, it was the late 1980s, and she was in search of more. She was willing to - and did - claw her way up the ladder to do what she loved. Before directing movies like Thirteen, The Nativity Story and Lords of Dogtown, Hardwicke was building sets, designing and doing anything else she could to meet people and get her name out there, even if it meant having to work for free.

"If you really want to make films, why not at least come out here for a little while and jump into it?" she said. "Intern or find a director you love and tell them, ‘I'll be a slave for you for free.'"

Hardwicke is known for keeping her brain and body in motion, Brace said. It's a skill she cultivated in high school. A glance in her senior yearbook will attest to her abundance of extracurricular activities, including the Key Club, Student Council, cheerleading and the Clean Land, Air and Water club, an environmental group.

Brace said that even while shopping, Hardwicke will buy things that could be used for a movie later, which often results in her own items being featured in films, as is the case with Twilight.

"She never wastes a moment. She's always on; she's always thinking," Brace said. "She sleeps sometimes, but hardly ever."

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LaMantia-Peisen hasn't spoken with Hardwicke in years. Like many high school friends, they've lost touch. As her former best friend stares in the face of what could be a prosperous future, she can't help but feel "extremely proud of her and all she's doing."

And like the imaginary world in her backyard all those years ago and that movie about a teenager who falls in love with a vampire, Hardwicke's success is her own creation, LaMantia-Peisen said. "She's a self-made director."