Jean Smart was ‘nervous’ comics wouldn’t buy her as a standup in ‘Hacks’

By CNN Newsource

Published May 16, 2024 6:28 AM

By Marianne Garvey, CNN

(CNN) — Jean Smart had never done standup comedy before she took on the role of the brilliant and biting comedian Deborah Vance in “Hacks.”

In an interview with CNN’s Chris Wallace debuting Friday, Smart said she was a bit apprehensive to play opposite Hannah Einbinder, who is cast as Ava in “Hacks,” a comedian in real life and the daughter of the “Saturday Night Live” original castmember Laraine Newman.

“I was nervous that real comedians, including Hannah, wouldn’t buy me as a comic,” Smart said on “Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace?”

“That was the only thing I was worried about, about the show,” she added.

She needn’t worry. Smart’s pitch-perfect performance as Vance has earned her rave reviews and two Emmy Awards for lead actress in a comedy series.

When Wallace asked if Smart modeled her performance on any comedians, she said she knew she had make her comedic delivery her own.

“I mean, you know actors, we’re monkey see monkey do. We’re good mimics, but I didn’t want to pick one specific person and try to do them because I knew it had to be my own style,” Smart said. “It had to come from me and my sense of humor and timing and things like that. And I’ve always liked watching comedians, so it’s one of my favorite parts of the show that I get to do standup now.”

The third season of “Hacks” finds Vance trying to secure a gig as a late-night host, an opportunity she lost earlier in her career over sexism. In the series and in reality, the seats are still predominately held by men. Smart shared her thoughts why it remains harder for female comedians to break through.

“I think it’s a really interesting topic,” she said. “Because there’s still this prevailing feeling that women aren’t really as funny as men or that they shouldn’t be off color and things like that. And I have mixed feelings about it. Because obviously playing Deborah, you know, and I know, certainly Deborah’s philosophy about it is that that’s not true.”

Season 3 of “Hacks” is currently airing on HBO and streaming on Max, which like CNN is part of Warner Bros. Discovery.

New episodes of “Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace?” debut Friday on Max.