Jean Smart Gets 'Really Honest' About Finding Extraordinary Success At 72
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Jean Smart has enjoyed a storied career over the course of her decades in Hollywood. But her role as Deborah Vance in HBO’s hit series “Hacks” catapulted her into another stratosphere of fame when the show premiered in 2021.
Smart, now 72, discussed finding a new level of success at this point in life during an interview with “Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace? On Max” in an episode released Friday.
“I’ll be really honest with you, there are days where I think, ‘You know, it wouldn’t have hurt to have this 20 years ago,’ when I felt like I was sort of at my peak,” Smart said.
“But good Lord, I’m not complaining ― better late than never. And I am incredibly grateful that I’m continuing to just get these amazing roles,” the Emmy winner said. “And I’m kind of baffled by it, but I’m not gonna look a gift horse in the mouth.”
When Wallace asked about the secret to Smart’s success, the actor seemingly channeled Deborah Vance for a moment.
“I was the middle child and didn’t get enough attention?” she said, laughing. Then she offered a straight answer: “I access my feelings easily.”
Smart has spoken before about her most recent career successes, which have been all the more remarkable given the notorious scarcity of Hollywood roles for women ages 50 and up. She’s credited it all to the parts that were offered to her.
“In the last five or six years, I’ve had some extraordinary roles that were just kind of handed to me on a silver platter, which has been really amazing — ‘Watchmen,’ ‘Fargo,’ and of course, ‘Hacks,’” Smart told Variety in 2022, adding that she “couldn’t have written something for myself that I would have enjoyed more.”
When offered the pilot script for “Hacks,” Smart said, “there was no question I was gonna say yes” to the role.
“The script had so much there already on the page — the comedy was there, obviously, but there were moments where you see behind her defenses and these dark moments,” she explained. “What more can you ask for as an actor?”
