There’s a version of this story where Jean Smart never gets a role like Deborah Vance. Where she keeps working steadily, does solid supporting turns, and quietly ages out of the conversation the way Hollywood has always expected women to do. That version of the story would have been entirely normal. It also would have been a huge loss.
Instead, the Emmy-winning actress is front and center in the final season of Hacks on HBO Max, delivering performances that have critics running out of superlatives. At 74, Jean Smart isn’t winding down. She’s at the peak of her powers.
Why Deborah Vance Is Such a Special Role
In Hacks, Smart plays Deborah Vance, a legendary Las Vegas comedian navigating a changing industry while forming an unexpected bond with a younger writer who challenges everything she thinks she knows. It’s a layered, demanding role that asks Smart to be hilarious and heartbreaking sometimes within the same scene.
She handles all of it effortlessly.
The HBO comedy series has earned a reputation as one of the best shows on television, and Hacks star Jean Smart has been the driving force behind that reputation from day one. Her Emmy wins for the role are well deserved, but even those don’t fully capture how good she is in it.
Jean Smart on What’s Actually Changed in Hollywood
While doing press for Hacks, Smart opened up about the shift she’s witnessed in the industry, and there’s genuine feeling behind what she said. This wasn’t a routine press tour answer. It’s something she clearly thinks about.
“I can’t really explain it, but I’m eternally grateful for the kinds of roles I’ve had over the last decade,” she said. “I was never the typical ingénue, and in a way, that probably helped me. There are more interesting roles now for women who aren’t 25.”
Hollywood ageism has been a documented problem for as long as the industry has existed. Older actresses in Hollywood have spoken about it for decades, often at personal and professional cost. The fact that the conversation is now producing actual results, in the form of complex, lead roles going to women over 70, is meaningful.
Smart believes the change starts with better writing.
“Older women can have the same desires, ambitions, and layered lives as younger characters,” she said. “And I think the industry is finally starting to embrace that.”
The Bigger Picture
The progress women in television have made over the past decade is hard to argue with. Female-driven series are more visible, more celebrated, and more commercially successful than ever. Strong female characters on TV are no longer a niche selling point. They’re expected.
But Smart’s perspective is a reminder that this shift is still new and still fragile. Every role like Deborah Vance matters. Every time a showrunner bets on a veteran actress and gets proven right, the door opens a little wider for the next one.
Hacks is making that argument beautifully right now. Catch the final season on HBO Max while it’s still airing.
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