Jean Smart has been giving top-notch performances for more than 40 years now, but the beloved actress has experienced a bit of a renaissance over the past several years. Watchmen, Mare of Easttown and Babylon are just a few of the productions in which she’s been able to show off her immense talents. What’s been keeping her occupied the most as of late, though, is Hacks – one of the best shows on HBO Max. The show’s third season (which we know a few things about) has been in production this winter, but filming was halted not long ago when Smart underwent heart surgery. A couple of the Emmy winner’s co-stars have now provided an update on her health.
The Designing Women alum recently revealed in an Instagram post that she was recovering from a heart-related procedure, which went successfully. She also used the opportunity to spotlight American Heart Month and asked her social media followers to “listen to your body and talk to your doctor.” The announcement was met with an array of well wishes from fans and celebrities.
That message was shared a few days ago so, when Variety caught up with Hannah Einbinder and Poppy Liu at this year’s SAG Awards, the news outlet asked for some insight into Jean Smart’s condition. Einbinder, who plays Ava Daniels on the show, said that the leading lady is doing just fine:
She’s doing well. She’s recovering. We just visited her.
This news is sure to be music to fans’ ears. Based on the vibe from Jean Smart’s social media post, one might’ve already gotten the impression that she was recuperating comfortably. However, it’s still great to hear her colleagues cement that notion. Poppy Liu (who’s known for playing blackjack dealer KiKi) doubled down on Hannah Einbinder’s sentiments while talking to the trade. She also mentioned that Smart ask a favor of them ahead of awards night:
She requested a lot of photos from all of us. We will be FaceTiming with her.
It sounds like the cast have just as much chemistry off camera as they do when they’re in front of it and, if you haven’t seen them work together, then you’ve been missing out. Hacks centers on legendary comedian Deborah Vance (Jean Smart), who seeks to update her material in an attempt to stay relevant – and employed. In her quest to do so, she recruits scorned comedy scribe Ava to be her head writer. From there, the two gradually form a connection as they navigate the ups and downs of the entertainment industry. Smart has won two Primetime Emmys, a Golden Globe and more for her work on the dramedy series, while Hannah Einbender has received multiple Emmy nominations and other honors.
When it comes to the upcoming third season, Hannah Einbender says that the producers have not revealed a start date yet. But in her estimation, work should pick back up “not too long from now.” Plot details are scarce right now, yet you can best believe that fans know what they want to see in Season 3 of the HBO Max series. Before we get too caught up in our theories though, let’s just hope that Jean Smart continues to have a successful recovery.
Grab an HBO Max subscription if you want to catch up on the first two seasons of Hacks, and keep your eyes locked on CinemaBlend’s 2023 TV schedule, so you’ll know when the show returns this year.
