Looking back on her film debut opposite Costner in Field of Dreams, Hoffmann explained to NPR, "I loved that movie, because I loved playing with all the baseball players. I had a huge crush on two of them, including Ray Liotta, who I was convinced was also in love with me." Back then, being on a movie set was nothing but good times for Hoffmann, who reminisced about how, "We would play cards, we would play catch, I didn't think about what we were doing ... I didn't read the script and contemplate whether or not it was going to be a good film."

When she made the decision to return to acting, once her tenure at Bard College was over, it was a daunting prospect. At first, Hoffmann was resistant, taking jobs purely for the payout and resenting the process. The actress admits that once she opened herself up to saying yes more frequently, interesting jobs came her way and she was able to fall in love with acting once again.