HBO – Hacks
In HBO Max’s ‘Hacks’, an aging diva who gets what might be her last big opportunity in a Las Vegas show teams up with an ambitious young assistant, a setup rife with situational comedy. But the series (Hacks: Money Talks in Hungarian), is much more than just that. It’s a thoroughly entertaining and occasionally thought-provoking comedy that’s already glued viewers to their couches for three seasons. In light of this, a press conference was held during the spring in Los Angeles, attended by the show’s two leading actors, Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder, as part of an exclusive on-site report.
At the press conference, three stars from the series were present: Jean Smart, who plays Deborah, Hannah Einbinder, who plays Ava, and Paul W. Downs, the showrunner, executive producer, writer, and director who plays Jimmy. Also in attendance were showrunner, executive producer, and writer Jen Statsky, and executive producer, writer, and director Lucia Aniello, who directed most of the episodes this season.
You don’t have to live in Las Vegas to experience the feelings of neglect, success, failure, uplifting moments, resignation, aging, or even questionable glamour in your own life. And we might not realize how much the everyday problems of a Hollywood diva resemble our own. The series undoubtedly brings a few parallels into focus if we peel back the glittery, sequined layers of Vegas’ trappings from Deborah’s life. What makes ‘Hacks’ brilliantly exciting is its deep dive into the Las Vegas glamour that draws millions of tourists to the US’s playground for adults every year.
The show captures this duality with easily digestible, light-hearted humor. Jean Smart was perfectly cast in this role, as she embodies everything needed to portray Deborah—and more. It’s hard not to notice the echoes between the actress and the character, just as it wasn’t hard to see the similarity between Brad Pitt and the fading Hollywood bon vivant Jack Conrad in ‘Babylon’. movie.
“Deborah was fueled by bitterness and disappointment for a long time because time had passed her by,” the actress says about her role. “She reached a critical point in her life where I think she finally felt like she made some peace with her fate and accepted human mortality. Then suddenly, an opportunity comes out of nowhere for her to become the star of a Las Vegas show, giving her a taste of the ‘what could have been.’ At first, she hardly notices the opportunity, but then she realizes how much she still wants success, and how wrong she was to think it was out of reach… because she kept telling herself it wasn’t possible anymore in her life.”
Let’s be honest, how many of us have felt that the world has passed us by, life has moved on without us, and the younger generation is taking over our space? That’s why the other main character, Ava, is a great counterpoint. Ava represents a kind of confrontation for Deborah, even if the show doesn’t emphasize this directly. Deborah’s young, lesbian assistant unwillingly becomes involved in her emotional struggles. Initially, Ava is very ambivalent about her job, admiring the diva on one hand while feeling suffocated by a position that demands many sacrifices—leading to relationship problems, among other things. By the time Ava quietly makes peace with her work and even grows to love Deborah, the diva, at the end of the second season, makes a noble gesture by letting Ava go so she can pursue her own career path—a move Ava does not appreciate. Hannah Einbinder, who plays Ava, commented on this: “There’s a point where tension arises between Ava and her girlfriend because of Deborah. The girlfriend talks about how hard it was for Ava to break away from Deborah and how their work relationship strained their personal relationship. This was always a heavy burden for Ava, weighing on her conscience. After Deborah fires her, Ava’s life gets back on track; she moves in with her girlfriend, and her career is on the rise. But I think something is always missing for her—without Deborah, her life doesn’t feel complete.”
So what do the actors miss most from the previous seasons? After a brief pause, Jean Smart herself answered one journalist’s question: “My years. I was three years younger.” After a moment of confused silence, the room erupted in laughter. No one expected such an honest response. Yet the 72-year-old diva could easily pass for younger, looking fantastic at the press conference alongside her younger colleagues and collaborators. Her witty answer perfectly captured the mood of the event, where the comedy series’ stars convinced us that they don’t just bring humor to the screen but also in real life. Despite this, the stereotype still lingers that women aren’t truly funny… Hannah Einbinder believes that only anonymous online commenters make remarks about her humor behind her back. “No one’s said that to my face. And I dare say no one ever would…,” she added, laughing.
Jean, however, has a slightly different take: “I don’t think people have completely made peace with it even today. They believe that men’s and women’s humor is different. Men can be funny in some ways, and women in others because we’re different. For example, why was it funny when Milton Berle put on a dress, and why wasn’t it when Judy Garland donned tight pants and performed a hobo act? I can’t explain it. It just is. But that doesn’t mean women aren’t as funny as men, that’s for sure!”
Jen Statsky agrees with Hannah, as no one has ever told her that women are less funny than men either. “When we finished the show with Paul and Lucia, that’s exactly what we were discussing. I think many female comedians have had to face this stereotype and fight much harder. I believe this series is a kind of thank-you letter to those women. It says, ‘Thank you for being in the trenches and fighting harder than maybe we had to; and also proof that these women are incredibly funny. So, don’t stop!”
The new season of HBO Max’s Hacks is available from May on the streaming service in Hungary as well.
– Virág Vida –
