Hannah Einbinder
Appearances
Fresh Air
'Hacks' Returns! With Jean Smart, Hannah Einbinder, Paul W. Downs
I can't believe this is happening now! I know. It's really bad timing.
Fresh Air
'Hacks' Returns! With Jean Smart, Hannah Einbinder, Paul W. Downs
I'm sorry to say this, but, I mean, you're not the only victim here.
Fresh Air
'Hacks' Returns! With Jean Smart, Hannah Einbinder, Paul W. Downs
Hey, this is not a value judgment on your entire being. Oh, really? They're just upset about some mistakes you made. Jokes! I made jokes that everybody was doing at the time. Yes, and the jokes were hurtful. Both things can be true. You get to be rich and famous for making jokes, and people are allowed to have their reactions to them.
Fresh Air
'Hacks' Returns! With Jean Smart, Hannah Einbinder, Paul W. Downs
I mean, why not use your comedian brain to fight through your defensiveness and think outside of yourself? Isn't that what good comics do? Why don't you just apologize?
Fresh Air
'Hacks' Returns! With Jean Smart, Hannah Einbinder, Paul W. Downs
Yeah, I went in with the rest of the, with all the eligible ladies in the land. I went into a casting office like first round early days on it. And I, you know, what ultimately did it in the end was I added jokes in my audition. Every step of the way, I would add my own jokes.
Fresh Air
'Hacks' Returns! With Jean Smart, Hannah Einbinder, Paul W. Downs
Yeah. A perfect script that needed no punch up, might I add. But I did just, you know, because it was so funny. And when something is such a quality piece of work, for me, it's so easy to kind of spitball off of that. So I just loved the material and I had ideas for it. And so I just added jokes along the way. And I did about three auditions. My first one was like
Fresh Air
'Hacks' Returns! With Jean Smart, Hannah Einbinder, Paul W. Downs
several days before the initial COVID lockdown. And then months went by and I did my callback on Zoom. And again, in that callback, I added several jokes. And I also added that Ava would vape after a punchline. I bought a vape and I hit it in the, I smoked it in the callback.
Fresh Air
'Hacks' Returns! With Jean Smart, Hannah Einbinder, Paul W. Downs
They did, and the audition scenes were the first scene where we meet my character in her manager Jimmy's office. And she's, you know, on the verge talking about wanting to jump out the window. And she's just been, you know, canceled, if you will. And then the other scene is the interview scene between Ava and Debra when they first meet.
Fresh Air
'Hacks' Returns! With Jean Smart, Hannah Einbinder, Paul W. Downs
So can you give an example of a joke you wrote that they kept? In the audition scene, the one between Jean and I. And just to set it up, you both have the same agent.
Fresh Air
'Hacks' Returns! With Jean Smart, Hannah Einbinder, Paul W. Downs
I added just some color to the initial interview scene between Ava and Deborah. I added that Ava, the line was that she flew all the way here and I added on spirits. Right. Okay. That's funny. Airlines. Yeah.
Fresh Air
'Hacks' Returns! With Jean Smart, Hannah Einbinder, Paul W. Downs
There was also a line I said, who's your decorator, Melania Trump? Because she has this sort of very Baroque style going on, sort of Versace Palace vibes. Yeah.
Fresh Air
'Hacks' Returns! With Jean Smart, Hannah Einbinder, Paul W. Downs
It was very much by example. She's really so gifted naturally and also technically, you know, when it comes to the very, you know, meticulous blocking work and continuity and everything. You know, I picked up the pen on this line, just things like that. She's very sharp and she's very on it. And I have tried to absorb as much as I can.
Fresh Air
'Hacks' Returns! With Jean Smart, Hannah Einbinder, Paul W. Downs
Certainly. One hundred percent. Yeah. I think it was the main currency in our family. And, you know, my parents are both tough laughs. So I had to do a lot to get what I wanted, you know, to do like a lot to get a big response from them. And yeah, it's like it is a love language for sure. And that was definitely my experience growing up.
Fresh Air
'Hacks' Returns! With Jean Smart, Hannah Einbinder, Paul W. Downs
I mean, I think that might just be a product of being Jewish. But yeah, it's also my specific upbringing for sure. Yeah.
Fresh Air
'Hacks' Returns! With Jean Smart, Hannah Einbinder, Paul W. Downs
I don't think it's going to happen. And that's the truth. And again, like, I want you to express yourself in the fan fiction. And that is beautiful. We're not going to we're not going to get it. And we need to focus up because I will post on Instagram like, hey, guys, we all need to support SB 222 to make polluters pay for climate disasters. And everybody sign the petition right now.
Fresh Air
'Hacks' Returns! With Jean Smart, Hannah Einbinder, Paul W. Downs
And I'll get like 16 replies that are like, make them kiss. I'm like, girls, we got to focus. We got to focus because there's no kissing on a dead planet. You know what I'm saying?
Fresh Air
'Hacks' Returns! With Jean Smart, Hannah Einbinder, Paul W. Downs
Well, in my opinion, traditional joke structure is very male. It's so focused on the ending. It's all about the climax.
Fresh Air
'Hacks' Returns! With Jean Smart, Hannah Einbinder, Paul W. Downs
I guess I am. It's for the best.