Naomi, Eastwood and Lorenz on Helen Gandy in "J. Edgar"

Helen Gandy

Another lifelong ally whom Hoover knew would never betray him was his secretary, Helen Gandy.

“Helen kind of ran the agency,” Eastwood contends. “If you ask the old-timers, whenever you wanted to know something, you went to see her. She had much more information than anyone else.”

“Helen’s commitment to Edgar never faltered,” says Naomi Watts, who portrays her in the film. “I think she was initially impressed by him and found him clever and charismatic, but she was only interested in a career. She worked closely with him longer than anyone, through incredible changes in the world, and she remained steady and poised till then end.”

For the Australian, playing a deeply patriotic American in a film about one of the country’s most controversial figures was enlightening. “I knew nothing about my character, and very little more about Hoover, when I took the role. Not being a part of America’s history, and then not having lived through those times, made this a great learning experience for me.”

“Naomi did such a fantastic job,” Lorenz (Producer) states. “The role was an understated but important one in the film, and she really made the most out of every scene and elevated the character, which was fitting for the role that Helen Gandy played in Hoover’s life.”