Jean Smart is back. This time with another unexpected character. The Emmy award-winning actress has been in the game for decades. She is one of the most famous faces on TV. In the new comedy-drama series, Hacks, Jean Smart’s lead role has been causing a buzz among viewers since it aired at the beginning of this year. Jean’s stellar performance in the 10 episode series has even garnered her an Emmy Nomination in 2021.
Hacks
So what is this new show all about? Hacks is a comedy starring Jean Smart as the legendary stand-up comedian Deborah Vance, who has a hard time doing what she loves the most. Deborah’s seemingly successful career didn’t turn out how she had hoped it would after devoting her entire life to her craft. Her failure could have resulted from her ex-husband. He left her for her sister and ruined her reputation in the process. Maybe one of the reasons why Deborah’s dream of late-night TV never took off.
The role of Deborah in Hacks allowed Smart to showcase what she is made of as an actor and provide a breathtaking performance. The series follows the rich celebrity during her Las Vegas residency, where she delivers her stale, mostly dry jokes. Smart embodies Deborah’s emotions as if they were her own, from loneliness and despair to excitement and hope. Throughout the season, the actor has shown the ease with which she can step into a role and own it.
Her Hollywood representative Jimmy (Paul W. Downs) couples her with Ava Daniels to save the stand-up comedian’s career. She is 25 and a TV writer played by Hanna Einbinder, who destroyed her career with a distasteful joke about a senator. After experiencing Cancel Culture and almost losing everything, Ava works for Deborah to liven up her stand-up writing material.
At first, Smart’s character, Deborah and Hannah’s Ava, seem to hate each other but quickly realize they are more alike than they would like. One thing many loved about the two is the recurring joke about the size of Ava’s hands. What also makes Hacks so great is how Jean and Hannah can blend their odd partnering, given their characters’ complicated personalities.
Unknown to some, while Smart was filming Hacks, her husband passed away. Richard Gilliland died of a heart attack at the age of 71. Smart spoke about her late husband in an interview. Jean still had a week of filming for Hacks left to do, including a funeral scene when he died unexpectedly. Jean admitted she was a wreck at the time, but it turned out to be funny. The scene she was filming was during the final episodes when she attended Ava’s father’s funeral.
Smart’s Acting Roles Prepared Her For Hacks
It was about time for Jean Smart to be at the helm of a television series after spending decades shaping the game. Ever since Jean appeared in Designing Women back in 1986 as Charlene Frazier, it was easy to spot her immense talent and passion for acting. Five seasons later, she left the hit sitcom and appeared in countless supporting roles in both series and films, where she added her rich presence to every scene. In the past few years, she has had notable roles that set her apart from her peers and gained attention from the TV Academy.
In 2019 she captivated fans as Laurie Blake from the Watchmen comics, a former superhero/vigilante now turned FBI agent. Smart easily expresses Laurie’s witty sense of humor, complicated personality, and loneliness throughout the years. Not to forget her 3 season stint as melancholy therapist, Melanie Bird on Legion.
To add to all that, 2021 proved to be Jean Smart’s year since two projects she starred in became significant hits. Her role as Helen Fahey proves that Smart has no problem delivering memorable lines with the prowess she has cultivated for years. She acts as Kate Winslet’s mother, a nosy woman who is the matriarch of her family in the grim crime drama, Mare of Easttown.
The multiple roles under Jean’s acting credits allowed her to be as dramatic or hilarious as the scenes needed. In an interview with Thrillist for the HBO series, she said she agreed to work on the show because of how well-written the script was and Deborah, who seemed like a fun character to play on paper. She realized the stand-up comedian had bits and pieces of some of the favorite women she has played over the years, like Lana from Frasier and Watchmen’s Laurie Blake.
Hacks’ Creators Loved Jean For The Role
Creators of the phenomenal show Hacks, Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, and Jen Statsky admitted Smart was their top choice to play Deborah not only because of her age but her talent. The real-life similarities between Jean and her character made her a character everyone would root for.
Despite her years in the industry, Smart has only won 3 Emmy awards, including twice in 2000, 2001 for her comedic role in Frasier and 2008 for her role in ABC’s sitcom Samantha Who? Apart from that, she has gotten nine Emmy awards nominations for her supporting roles in Watchmen, Fargo, and 24. Jean has won two Critic Choice Television Awards for her roles in Fargo and Watchmen. Paul Downs told Indiewire they had always felt Jean Smart was underappreciated for her acting ability, similar to Deborah Vance.
He also added the chance to give Jean Smart a starring role is one of their proudest accomplishments.
Jean Smart’s brilliant acting as Deborah Vance carried the show. It was so loved by fans worldwide that it prompted HBO Max to greenlight it for a second season. Smart’s time on screen always leaves a lasting impression, no matter how short. That is why her leading role in Hacks was long overdue. The series’ success might be a sign to put Jean and other actresses in well-written leading roles in the future.
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