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Hannah Einbender is the 26-year-old co-star ofHacks,whichreturns for a second season today.
Lets start off here: Is Hannah just a product ofSNLnepotism or … what?
And its like, Cmon Ben, obviously.
And if you really want to be respected, you kinda have to go through the steps.
Obviously, yeah, she has parents that are helpful.
I do wanna get into the stand-up, because I dont think many people have seen her perform.
I started doing comedy in Chicago, and Meg was one of the first comedians Id do shows with.
I think theyre both really hilarious.
For Hannah, I do think her stand-up is a version of the character she plays onHacks.
Kathryn:If we eliminated nepotism in Hollywood, we wouldnt have Hollywood.
Youre probably pretty good because you have a nepotistic relationship with this thing you grew up around.
That youve had a lot more exposure to.
Is that not fair?
Of course it isnt fair, but it doesnt mean youre bad at your job.
It just means you had a lot more opportunities to get good at it.
That plus the ability to have access to like,What kinda moves do I need to make?
Ashley, I did not know this lady was 26 years old before this.
Shes so young, and she kinda plays up for me.Ashley:She seems a little older.
When you look at the show and the people involved in the show, theyre not new.
These are veterans of TV.
They had to find someone who could stand next to Jean Smart and hold it down.
Kathryn, how do you feel about her standing next to Jean Smart?Kathryn:Its challenging.
You have to be yourself and alsoeveryone and you have to do it next to Jean Smart.
Its a Herculean task that any person has to do.
Ashley:Its like the Hannah Horvath dilemma, ya know.
Kathryn:I was just about to say that!
Its not like we havent seen it before!
But also, you kinda have to root for them even though youre supposed to hate them.
And audiences are just like,No, shes annoying.
I hate her.Its like, yeah, theyre making fun of millennials with this character.
I can see what she represents, but Im also annoyed with her.
Like, that is justnotsomething that happens.
Kathryn:Also she wouldnt have gotten canceled for that tweet.
It just wouldnt happen!
You just wouldnt!Ashley:Especially to a connected white female comic?
Theyre the ones who deal with the pressure.
Theres been a split reaction.
How do you, having created and resolved tension between two people, go about creating that tension again?
Thats been my big question.
But we stay strong and we keep watching.
Kathryn:Heroes all.
If nothing else, its so useful.
Ashley:Like literally you just can use it as shorthand for a stand-up comic whos doing longform storytelling.
And I do hope that they find a way out of the frustrating collapse of art and authenticity.
My giant air quotes better make it into the transcript.
Ashley:Part of me is like theres something to be celebrated in the way Deborahs a hack.
So this role collapses the identities Hannah already sorta inhabits.
I do wonder about our fascination, as an audience, with her as a young person.
Are we concerned about this portrayal for her being so close to what she actually does in life?
But its the audience like there are people who want Hannah to be the character onHacks,right?
So the question for Hannah or for anybody is: Do you want that?
Do you buy into it?
Do you stop doing it for a while?
Its about picking the kind of relationship you want with it in the future.
I think both avenues are gonna be available to her.
Do you want have a go at do all of it at the same time?
Do you pick a role Im trying to think of the opposite of this kind of role would be.
Ashley:Yeah, like an action movie.
The next Marvel star!Kathyrn:Or like a booth babe, right?
Or like something very objectified and empty.
But it is a question of like: Does she wanna swerve or lean in?
Im very glad that she has the ability to make that choice.
