Jean Smart has won yet another Outstanding Lead Actress Emmy for her role in the comedy-drama Hacks. It is her third consecutive win for the role of Vegas’ legendary stand-up comic Deborah Vance. Smart has also won an Emmy for her role in the ABC sitcom Samantha Who? and two Emmys for guest appearances on Frasier.
Smart’s only regret after winning three Emmys for Hacks is the fact that her parents couldn’t see this fun series. She shared that they had been entertained by her role as Lana Gardner in Frasier. Her father Douglas Alexander Smart passed away in 2003 while her mother Kathleen Marie (Kay) Sanders died in 2016.
Jean Smart Only Had One Regret About Her Emmy-Winning Series Hacks
In the third season of Hacks, Jean Smart‘s Deborah Vance struggles to achieve one of her biggest dreams. She wants to host her own late night show on a major broadcast network. When this season wraps up, not only does the character achieve her dream, but Smart too wins the Emmy for the third time for her role.
Fans missed Smart at the Emmys earlier this year, but she was at her usual best when the show returned to Max. It almost appears that Smart has achieved it all with her role as Deborah in Hacks, but she revealed to Glamour earlier this year that she did have a regret about the show.
During the interview, she revealed that Hacks was definitely one of the career achievements she considered above all others. She also shared Fargo and Frasier as two of her all-time favorite jobs. Further expanding on Frasier, she shared that her parents watched her role in the series and it was very fun and exciting for them.
While she found it nice to share that Emmy-winning performance with them, she was sad that they couldn’t see her in Hacks. She shared that her mother in particular would’ve really enjoyed her role in the Max series. Smart shared with Glamour:
It was one of my favorite jobs, and just a blast playing Lana [Gardner, an outspoken former classmate of Frasier Crane]. It was also very fun and exciting for my parents, so it was nice to be able to share that with them. I wish they could have seen Hacks. That makes me sad. They didn’t get to, and I think my mother in particular would’ve really, really enjoyed it.
During her acceptance speech at the Emmys, Smart was her usual comedic self and took a dig at her employer. She first thanked “HBO” and then corrected it to “Max”, taking a jab at the network’s frequent renaming. Smart quipped, “Just what we needed, another network.” She missed out on the Emmys earlier this year when her show bowed out of the competition due to a delay in production of Season 3.
Jean Smart Is Expected To Be Back In The Emmy Race Next Year As Well
Jean Smart has an impeccable record at the Emmys. Besides her lead actress and guest role wins in Hacks and Frasier, she has also won the prestigious TV award for her supporting role in Samantha Who?. She has also been nominated multiple times for her roles in shows like 24, Fargo, Watchmen, and Mare of Easttown.
While Smart’s Deborah achieved her dreams, her story in Hacks is far from over. Towards the end of the season, Hannah Einbinder’s Ava blackmails her way into the position of the head writer on Deborah’s show. This could bring some tension between the characters in a potential fourth season, where both Smart and Einbinder would return.
Smart would probably try her luck the fourth time for her role at the Emmys next year. Hacks is now available for streaming on Max.
