EDGE Interview: Inside the World of Comedy with Jean Smart, Hannah Einbinder and the Creators of 'Hacks'

Lucia Aniello

EDGE: From the beginning, "Hacks" has always focused on queerness as part of the stories within the series. Why did you choose to focus attention on hiring LGBTQ actors and telling queer character stories as part of the ensemble of the show?

Lucia Aniello: I think for us, we just want to reflect the world around us which is evolving. Making queer characters the center of the story, not necessarily just about their queerness, but queerness as part of their identity. It's how we see the world and how we accept people who are just purely themselves. We just want people to be able to be living their truths and the way we want our characters to be as well.

EDGE: We all know it is extremely hard to make a television show from start to finish. Not to mention getting picked up and eventually renewed, and then renewed again for a third season. What does that mean for you going forward for the show? Does it still feel as fresh to you as it was going into the first season?

Lucia Aniello: It really is something that increasingly with everyday seems more and more rare to even have a comedy on TV right now. Especially one that is about a 70-year-old woman. That does feel kind of like a rare thing at the moment, but we are very lucky. We know that we're lucky. We're very grateful for the people who keep the show alive are the fans, that's what is so amazing about it. There's no one type of fan. We're always shocked when people say that they watch it. Straight dads, a bunch of high school boys who aren't related to the show have said they watch it. I think that people talking about it, that word of mouth, really connecting with it and being proud to tell other people about it is the reason that we've been able to make the show. It is a pinch me moment every day.

Paul W. Downs

EDGE: Paul, can you please tell us if your character Jimmy will be nice to his assistant Kayla this season, played by Megan Stalter?

Paul W. Downs: Yes, I will be way nicer! I mean, you know Kayla still drives [Jimmy] crazy but they really really connect this season.

EDGE: You've directed a few episodes in the past and it looks like you directed two episodes in the upcoming season. What's the experience like transitioning from in front of the camera as an actor to behind as a director?

Paul W. Downs: All of us kind of wear a lot of hats on the show and it's really a collaborative team effort. I think you can feel that. For me, the only thing that's hard is when I'm directing an episode that I'm in because then I'm like, "How did that look?" Because otherwise, it's really simple. It's something that as a writer and co-showrunner, the three of us are always watching every single scene, changing and rewriting all the time and so it's not that different.