Hacks understands how ageism creeps up on women

Salon.com

"Hacks knows all of us start out as some version of (Hannah Einbinder's upstart comic) Ava but start to identify with (Jean Smart's veteran comedian) Deborah when ageism slaps us in the face, which is around the same time that your hard-earned longevity in the workforce shows up on your resume not as an asset but a liability," says Melanie McFarland. "Younger women like Ava pulling up on your bumper can feel like a threat, especially when you start competing for the same jobs and more often than not, they win. Despite all of this, Deborah isn't a vindictive boss by any definition. Hacks presents Deborah as a type of mentor offering her example of unrelenting drive, humility and an aggressive defense as the secrets to successful and survival – if Ava can recognize it. Following her desert storm she tasks Ava with organizing mountains of documentation high as the Sierra Nevadas, a treasure trove of Deborah's jokes and accomplishments captured on video and paper."

ALSO:

• Hannah Einbinder remembers Jean Smart calling her the night before her audition: “The night before, she called me at like 10:45,” says Einbinder. “She’s really such a chill woman. She said, ‘I watched your stand-up and I think you’re really great. I know tomorrow, with COVID precautions, it may feel weird, but I wanted to let you know I think we’re going to have a lot of fun.'" Einbinder adds that Hacks, her first major acting role, marked "the first time I’ve auditioned for someone and it was like, Yeah, this girl is a friend of mine."
• Smart says auditioning with Einbinder was like a "weird dating game" involving them standing with a "big piece of Plexiglas between us"
• Here are 10 ways Jean Smart's Hacks character Deborah Vance is like Joan Rivers -- and four ways they're different