EXCLUSIVE
Jean Smart Corporations increasingly decide who gets to have a voice and who doesn’t In this era when few television shows succeed in simultaneously positioning themselves as critical and a cultural phenomenon, Hacks represents the exception. It reminds us of the power of comedy while addressing ageing and the courage to be vocal S ince its first appearance, the se- ries Hacks has built a reputa- tion as one of the most lay- ered and accurate depictions of the entertainment industry, category, and about who has the right to speak – and when. That’s precisely why the show’s fifth and final season, which started airing in Serbia on HBO this April, carries special weight: not only as the end of a long story, but also as a kind of commentary on legacy, on how it is re- membered and endures. At the heart of the narrative is ac-
Following the events of Season Four and the idea that Deborah is somehow losing control of her own narrative, what did you think it was most important for the audience to feel in the final season? - I think that, for Deborah, it’s a mo- ment when she’s confronted by the way she’s seen by others — and how they can misunderstand her life and legacy. When someone else starts shaping your sto- ry, that’s actually a very scary experience. And I think that’s exactly what pushes her to the limit. There’s one moment that the audience has yet to see in which she’s completely broken. She feels truly defeat- ed, as if it’s all and others have won. And that’s a rare moment for her. But her de- cision to rise again and take matters into her own hands actually stems from that moment. That’s not a heroic juncture in the classic sense — it's a very human mo- ment. And that, in a broader sense, re- flects what’s happening in the industry. Major corporations increasingly decide what’s acceptable and what’s not, who has a voice and who doesn’t. And that’s frightening. Even when you’re developing a project, you have to consider how it will be interpreted by someone “from above”. That changes the way we create. Hacks often addresses contemporary topics – from control of the media to AI. How important was it for those themes to be part of the story? - I think that’s unavoidable. If you want to make something relevant, you have to discuss the world in which we live. And the world is currently chang- ing very quickly, and not always in a
but also of the relationship between gen- erations, power and identity. The show centres around Deborah Vance, a legend- ary Las Vegas stand-up comedian, and her complex, often conflicted, yet deep- ly transformative relationship with a young screenwriter called Ava. Distin- guishing Hacks from other similar shows is its ability to use humour as an analyt- ical tool to dissect and expose the pow- er structures, emotional cracks and social patterns shaping the modern world. Hacks has won numerous awards over the past five years, including Golden Globes and Emmys, but its significance extends far beyond validation from with- in the industry. It has become a point of reference for conversations about the po- sition of women in the industry, about old age as a narrative and professional
tress Jean Smart, whose work on this series has redefined the perception of career and created space for a differ- ent understanding of women’s roles on screen. Her interpretation of Deborah Vance isn’t just a performance – it’s a genuine study of character, time and the industry. Speaking in this exclusive inter- view for Elevate, Smart discusses the cul- mination of the series and the layers of her character, as well as fears and chang- es in the industry, but also deeper topics addressed by Hacks, such as who controls the narrative, how legacies are built and why humour is perhaps more important today than it’s ever been.
34 | Intervju » Interview
Made with FlippingBook interactive PDF creator