Jean Smart can’t get enough Hannah Einbinder in her life.
Einbinder stars as Ava, a young comedy writer on the HBO series “Hacks,” alongside Smart, who plays Deborah, a veteran comedian. Einbinder says she was stunned when she found out Smart happened to hire an assistant who looks just like her.
“I went over to Jean’s house one day to play cards, and I knock on the front gate, and she got a new assistant. And she opened the door, and it is a red-headed queen named Molly with a bob,” Einbinder said April 1 on TODAY with Jenna & Friends, while pointing to herself, alluding to their similarities.
“And Jean’s at the front door, and I’m going, ‘Are you kidding me?’ And she’s like, ‘She means nothing to me.’ And poor Molly doesn’t understand our dynamics. And she’s like, ‘Should I go?’”
While they often butt heads on their show, Einbinder and Smart get along famously.
“I love Jean,” Einbinder said. “Yes, we are thick as thieves.”
That description echoes previous comments Einbinder has made about how their relationship took off after “Hacks” premiered in 2021.
“We really did have an instant connection and an instant trust because I think we had to be in this very close, tight-knit relationship with these characters,” she told TODAY.com last year. “It also is so innate, to her and myself, to just be kind of open as people. And so, that felt really compatible.”
Einbinder, who has earned three Emmy nominations for her role on “Hacks,” also showed her love for Smart, who’s won three Emmys for her work on the series, by delivering a speech when the former “Designing Women” star was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2022.
“What can I say about Jean Smart that hasn’t been type-screamed in capital letters by every lesbian with an internet connection?” Einbinder joked.
“Well, there’s actually a lot I can say about Jean Smart because whether you’re with her for a day or a couple years, like I’ve been, you’re sure to leave carrying something she’s given you. Everyone knows that Jean is an enchanting performer with a God-given gift for storytelling. What I’d like to focus on today is how beautiful a human being she is.”
You can see Einbinder and Smart at it again when the fourth season of “Hacks” premieres April 10 on HBO.
