It was a Hacks reunion during a meta moment on Jimmy Kimmel Live! as interim host, Rosie O’Donnell welcomed guest Jean Smart to the stage for the August 18 episode.
As fans may recall, O’Donnell appeared as herself in the series during its Season 4 run, appropriately overlapping with Deborah Vance’s late-night TV run. Sitting at Kimmel’s desk while the comedian takes a break, O’Donnell’s signature tchotchkes surround her for the conversation that got reflective on Hacks‘ critically acclaimed run, which concluded with the fifth and final season earlier this year.
“It’s definitely bittersweet, yeah,” Smart admitted of the HBO Max comedy coming to an end. “I mean, I knew from the beginning it was a five-year [thing]; that was their plan: five years, they had the whole story in their head, the whole five-year story,” she reiterated, regarding the vision of the showrunners Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, and Jen Statsky.
Max
When asked when she knew she wanted to do the project, Smart shared, it was “instantly.” Ultimately, it was the stand-up aspect that made Smart momentarily hesitate towards the role as she admitted, “That was the only thing that scared me. I thought, ‘Oh, will other comedians buy me as a comic?’ That was the thing that I was concerned about.”
O’Donnell made sure to let Smart know she was more than convincing as she responded, “And I’m telling you, we bought you as a comic. You were fantastic at it. That’s not an easy thing to do.”
Smart could have a record win on the horizon, as she could tie with Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Cloris Leachman to have the most Emmy wins for a role in a comedy series. “I still kind of think that’s a technicality,” Smart argued as O’Donnell attempted to praise the performer’s success.
Whether Smart will continue working or not post-Hacks, she admitted to O’Donnell, “Part of me wants to take a big break, but I’m gonna be doing a movie this winter…” While she wouldn’t divulge information about the movie, Smart also teased her return to producing.
Whatever it is, we’ll be there. See the full Hacks reunion above, and let us know what you thought of the interview in the comments section.
Hacks, HBO Max
Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Weeknights, 11:35/10:35c, ABC