Basic game HUD

So, I’m currently trying to make a top-down action game. What I’ve got so far is a character with some basic actions (move around, attack in the direction he’s facing, block). I’m thinking of the HUD now, but I don’t know how I should make it. Some feedback here would be appreciated.
Should the game area be one movie clip, and the HUD another? Or should only the HUD be a movie clip while the game area is _root? Or something completely different?