Hulu’s How to Die Alone stars Natasha Rothwell as Melissa, a broke and out-of-shape JFK airport employee who’s never been in love and has forgotten how to dream. That is until an accidental brush with death sends her on a journey to start living by any means necessary.
Rothwell is the show’s creator, and shares show-runner/executive producer duties with Vera Santamaria. The series spans eight episodes, with directing duties split between Jude Weng (1, 8), Renuka Jeyapalan (2, 3), Shahrzad Davani (4, 6) and Tiffany Johnson (5, 7).
Christine Armstrong (pictured), ACE, edited the series and recently shared insight into her approach cutting the show.
Hi Christine! Can you tell use a bit about your editing setup and some of the tools you rely on?
“I always work with at least three monitors — two standard screens for editing and one dedicated preview/client monitor. Having the preview monitor separate allows me to focus entirely on the visual experience, while the two main screens give me space to work in the timeline and have my project assets visible at all times. I also sometimes orient one of my screens vertically to manage the bin view, which provides a much larger area for browsing through clips and assets, making the whole process smoother and more intuitive. For editing, I primarily use Avid and Jump Desktop to jump into a remote system. I also rely heavily on Boris and Sapphire plug-ins, especially when working on projects like How to Die Alone, where we were developing a very specific visual style and look for the show.”
How did your personal editing style affect the approach to cutting How To Die Alone?
“My personal editing philosophy centers around the idea of trusting my gut. I believe that editing isn't just a technical process — it's an intuitive one. There are times when you feel a moment is right, even if you can’t explain why, and that gut feeling often guides me when deciding what to cut, what to keep and where to tighten things up. This approach was especially crucial with How to Die Alone, guiding me to make instinctive decisions about pacing, tone and emotional resonance, while ensuring that each scene and moment served the story without overthinking or over-structuring, which then allowed the humor and heartache to feel authentic and unforced.”
Can you talk a bit about the collaboration process for this series?
“Collaborating with Natasha Rothwell and Vera Santamaria during the editing process for How to Die Alone was an incredibly rewarding experience. From the beginning, they were clear about their vision for each episode, but they also trusted me to bring my own ideas to the table, which made the process feel truly collaborative. One standout example was when we were working on the finale. Natasha and Vera wanted the opening to feel unique and different from the rest of the season, so they tasked me with coming up with an innovative approach. After discussing the tone and themes, I proposed an idea where all the interviewers in the opening were presented as black-and-white photographs, and they came up with an ending on Mel in color. The way the voiceover complemented the visuals created a haunting, reflective tone that set the stage for the rest of the episode. The entire team embraced the idea, and through our back-and-forth, we fine-tuned it to feel both striking and emotional. This was a great example of how effective collaboration can really elevate a project — when everyone trusts each other's instincts, the final product becomes something more than what any one of us could have done alone. Their openness to my input, combined with their sharp creative direction, made it a truly successful partnership.”
How to Die Alone blends humor with introspective moments, especially in scenes like Melissa's "Feeling Good" performance. Could you walk us through your process in editing that finale?
“The ‘Feeling Good’ performance in the finale was such a key moment in How to Die Alone, and the challenge was to reflect Mel's personal transformation in a visually compelling way. Natasha had a clear vision for the scene and wanted it to encapsulate how far Mel had come throughout the season by revisiting her low moments. Initially, the idea was to keep the performance grounded, but after discussing Mel's journey, I thought of using a Wizard of Oz-inspired theme to emphasize the shift from a dull, black & white existence to a vibrant, colorful one. We rewind through her moments using a VHS/film effect. This was a way of visually signaling her internal transformation as she embraced a new sense of self.
“We carried this color motif throughout the episode! As Mel performs and begins her transformation, the world around her shifts into full color, which becomes a powerful representation of her emotional breakthrough. The result was a scene that didn’t just feel like a song, but a cathartic moment for Mel, reinforcing the theme of her moving from darkness into light. It was one of those instances where style and substance worked hand-in-hand to create something that was both visually striking and emotionally resonant.”
What were some of the challenges this show presented and how did you overcome them?
“One of the biggest challenges I faced while working on How to Die Alone was finding the right balance between the dramatic and comedic elements, as the show blends both so naturally. Editing a dramedy means walking a fine line — too much humor can undermine the emotional depth, while too much drama can make the lighter moments feel forced. To overcome this, I focused on pacing and timing, making sure each scene had the space it needed to land, whether it was a quiet, introspective moment or a quick comedic beat. By trusting the characters' emotional arcs and the tone they wanted to create, we were able to fine-tune the balance, ensuring that the humor never overshadowed the drama and vice versa, resulting in a show that felt both heartfelt and authentically funny.”
What’s next for you?
“Hell of a Summer, which is Finn Wolfhard and Billy Byrk’s directorial debut, is set to hit theaters next year.”