FLYING HIGH

From competitive cheerleading to a fourth Emmy nod for 'Hacks," adrenaline seeker' Hannah inbinder is still on the rise

- Margy Rochlin

WHEN CASTING BEGAN IN 2020 FOR THE AWARD-WINNING HBO MAX series "Hacks," its three creators - Paul W. Downs, Lucia Aniello and Jen Statsky -saw hundreds of actors for the role of Ava Daniels, a 20something comedy writer who teams up with a Vegas comedian, Deborah Vance (Jean Smart), whose act has grown as dated as her updo and glittery outfits. In choosing Hannah Einbinder, they put a little-known stand-up comic who'd never before set foot on a TV series shoot on a path to four Emmy nominations.

So what did they see then that indicated Einbinder could hold her own with Smart, a storied actress who famously can do anything? Downs, who also stars as manager Jimmy LuSaque Jr. on "Hacks," says Einbinder caught the trio's attention with her audition scene, in which Ava threatens to kill herself after learning that her tweet about a closeted senator and his gay son has rendered her unhirable. "A lot of really funny, really talented actresses read for the part, but their reads were emotional," he says. "Hannah read it in a way that was dry, sardonic, the way that a comedy writer would say it, and she just had this toughness about her." Ava's decision to blackmail Deborah into letting her become head writer of her new late-night talk show signaled a power shift in the series, and Season 4, which premiered in April, is distinctly more Avacentric. Even as her unsinkable, emotionally complicated boss combats Ava's efforts to elevate the show at every turn, Ava's maturation stands out.

With some comedic hurdles, of course.

Sitting in a conference room at The Times, Einbinder acknowledges that Season 4 showed the "Hacks" writers knew she could take her performance into fresh territory.