Hacks stars Jean Smart & Hannah Einbinder love making each other laugh

MANILA, Philippines — Season 2 of Hacks, the Emmy-winning Max Original comedy series about stand-up comedy, is now down to its last week.

Fans have been taken on a road trip this season as the show’s lead characters — legendary comedy diva Deborah Vance and her millennial writer Ava Daniels (played by Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder, respectively) — test their new material at comedy clubs across the US.

From a chaotic pair who’s always at loggerheads with each other at the onset of the season, they’ve now become quite the dynamic duo — at least by the sixth episode. They’ve appeared to bridge their differences, including their generational divide, to come up with comedy that finally delivers the laughs.

So far, the audiences have also been treated to riotous physical comedy — from shoes flying to dumpster diving — and we found out during a recent virtual roundtable chat that filming these scenes was as fun as they looked.

Said Hannah, “It’s really a lot of fun because everyone’s getting into it. We’re on set and we’re at work but it’s also so ridiculous. (I remember) there’s a part in the crystal shop (scene) where Jean throws a crystal and they rigged a glass shelf to explode. And that’s so cool. We’re just dealing with miniature explosions of glass and I’m running around it like it’s so much fun.”

There were a few mishaps, Jean admitted. “I felt bad because I didn’t realize until later that I had actually hit (Hannah) a couple of times. I was trying to not do that. And I was trying to make it still look real and it got a little too real. But it was fun.”

The Emmy-winning series, which airs exclusively on HBO GO, is now down to its last week. The lead stars say their friendship has evolved along with their characters’ relationship.

“All good. And we got the shot,” added Hannah.

Asked to describe the atmosphere on set, Jean divulged that “it’s rarely serious.”

Hannah agreed, “Yeah! It depends on the scene. But also, sometimes when you work for like… you know, the days were 14-ish hours. So, sometimes, we kind of just take our time and sit in some very soothing silence.

“But most of the time, we’re chatting away and running lines or talking about whatever. When people ask me, ‘What’s your favorite thing? What’s your standout memory?’ Like, every day, we laugh our asses off… It’s hard to recap and pinpoint little things because it’s just filled constantly with love and laughter all the time.”

Since the show also tackles mentorship, although not the most ideal kind, we asked if there was a real mentor-mentee relationship going on between them two on set.

According to Hannah, Jean, who won Emmy, SAG and Critics Choice awards for her performance in Hacks Season 1, was a teacher by example. What she learned from the actress, also dubbed Queen of HBO for successive shows on the platform (she previously starred in the critically-acclaimed drama-thriller Mare of Easttown) went beyond acting.

Jean showed her “many intricate, tiny, detailed actions that exist within the craft itself that I wouldn’t have been aware of as a viewer my whole life.”

Hannah continued, “(Jean) leads by example across the board as an actress and as a person. But I also feel like Jean’s my cool, older cousin, you know? Like, not quite sisters, but still family. Not distant enough to be aunts, but we’re both like two little cousins just running around. There’s so much that I see in her and I’m always watching to try to absorb all of her nuance and wonder. But we’re also just like great pals.”

Jean, for her part, stressed that she also learned from Hannah, who was named Just For Laughs’ New Face of Comedy and Vulture’s “Comics To Watch” in 2019.

“I wouldn’t describe it as a mentor kind of relationship. I’m also kind of in awe of Hannah for a lot of reasons. You know, just her mind and her experience, her talent as a comedian and I was very anxious, too, to really hope that she would approve of my stand-up comedy in the show since she does it for real. So, that was important to me. It kind of goes both ways.”

The actress also noted that her friendship with Hannah has evolved alongside their characters’ relationship, particularly how they’re able to trust each other more in the current season. “They’ve gained respect for each other. But unlike Hannah and I, Deborah and Ava still butt heads all the time, which is part of the fun of the show.”

Nevertheless, Hannah was quick to admit that because of her closeness to Jean, it was difficult to execute their confrontation scenes, including the epic slap in the Season 1 finale.

“For me, it’s hard because I feel so close to the characters and so connected to their relationship. And I’m also so close to Jean… I know it’s all make-believe, but it does feel real at times, especially with a scene that’s like their big fight in the finale. It makes it a little more real, I’m not gonna lie. So it’s tough, but it’s also like, really gratifying work.”

During the roundtable interview, they also talked more about some of the highlights this season, including Jean’s “bed scene” in Episode 6.

“Oh, well, I mean, nothing really happened, but it is kind of nerve-wracking. And plus, he’s young enough to be my son. I was hoping he wasn’t gritting his teeth getting through it. But he was very professional, very sweet. And it was okay. But I’m not sure how my 13-year-old grandchild is going to feel about it,” she said.

Jean was also asked to weigh in on Hollywood being criticized for lack of roles or stories for older actresses.

In Season 2, Deborah and Ava literally go places, such as the Grand Canyon in Arizona.

“I would love it if our show helped or changed that a little bit. The very fact that it’s so popular and it’s popular with men, as well as women, I think, speaks a lot. If you tell a good story and entertain people, it doesn’t matter if it’s, you know, an older person or younger person or a man or a woman. If you tell a good story, it’ll work.”

For Hannah, Hacks being a good, “well-written story,” where everything aligned, from casting to showrunners to cinematographers, is the reason why Season 1 became successful. “I think the first season was successful because it contains not necessarily firsts but a lot of stories and characters that are underexposed.

“So, I think, a lot of people were kind of like, finally, there’s this thing for me, whatever that may be for the individual. It’s also just funny, and it’s got a lot of heart, you know.”

“It’s also sort of the classic odd couple (story), which is a great formula and is fun to play and fun to watch,” added Jean.

After portraying characters always on the lookout for a killer punchline, they also shared what would make them laugh in real life.

Jean said, “So many things make me laugh. Sometimes, it’s just silly, juvenile humor and other times it’s a joke or a story that is so well-constructed that the ending takes you by surprise… And Hannah makes me laugh.”

Hannah quickly returned the compliment by saying: “She makes me laugh, too. We send like memes to each other constantly. Mostly Jean. She’s like a meme god. She has the funniest. We laugh about those all the time.”

(Hacks Season 2 airs Thursdays exclusively on HBO GO.)