ABC - 1994

The Yarn Princess chronicles the true, four-hankie story of Margaret (Jean Smart), a developmentally slow woman who still manages to marry and raise a family. When her husband Jake (Robert Pastorelli) is diagnosed as schizophrenic and can no longer work, Margaret goes to court to prove she is competent to retain custody of her six sons, ages 2 through 17.

Smart and director Tom McLoughlin visited various homes for people who are developmentally disabled. "I met a couple of women who were in this woman's position, who had lost their children and were trying to get them back," Smart says in a 1994 L.A. Times interview.

One woman Smart spent most of her time with didn't have a husband, but had seven children, who, at different stages, had been taken away from her by the state. "I spoke to her attorney who was doing whatever he could for her. Some people are not capable of taking care of their children. The thing is, it's not necessarily because their IQ falls below a line that has been drawn that is considered normal. It's for a variety of reasons, mostly poverty or inability to get work or keep work. God knows, we have seen evidence of people who have normal and more-than-normal intelligence who could never be parents."

Though Smart says that she never cried so much in one film, the emotional aspect of playing Margaret wasn't difficult. "It was finding a quality, a physical and vocal quality for her that I was happy with and the director was happy with," she says. "That terrified me because if people can't buy this right away, then it will be difficult to take them through this story."

Smart also worked hard to create a specific look for Margaret. "Sometimes when you look different than yourself, it helps you to keep the image of the character in your head," she says. So, she darkened her blond hair and wore outfits that "were things that she would have gotten at a thrift shop. Things that would appeal to her were things that she wore when she was little. And I had to wear ankle socks. It's comfortable to have socks on."

"From Smart's bright character in Designing Women to her twisted, haunted serial killer in 1992's Overkill: The Aileen Wuornos Story to her slightly retarded mother in Yarn Princess (so called because of the woman's fascination with spinning yarn), Smart is as unpredictable an actress as gifted. Her achievement here is physically centered on two techniques that convey the slap of reality and bring her role to endearing life: Primary is her speech patterns, her slightly dull, slow inflection, and next her subtly glazed-over eyes. Nothing is excessive. The result is that when her character breaks into a smile or lapses into frustration, it's genuine and can melt your heart." -- LA Times

"Jean Smart is sympathetic and convincing as Margaret. She is a hard-working and well-intentioned woman, doing her very best in a difficult situation. Only the most cold-hearted viewers won't be cheering for her." -- Apollo Movie Guide