Regarding ‘Hacks’, the joke is on Kaitlin Olson. She’s okay with that

“What a cunt!” There was something sad about the road Kaitlin Olson Try to turn that slur into a catchphrase in this week’s new article Hack episode, “The Roast of Deborah Vance”—and strangely wins at the end, when she actually succeeds. Portrays the image of an abandoned and at times extremely needy daughter Jean is smartIn the legendary Vegas comic strip, Olson always seemed a natural fit for the role, having spent much of her career breathing angry, painfully funny life into Women are on the brink. (She received an Emmy for her performance last season.) But when Olson’s DJ nervously prepares to burn her famous mother alive in front of a live audience, what does she have to show? lies deep beneath DJ’s despair. She’s still a rebel, but she’ll also break your heart a little.

For fans of Olson, it’s no surprise to see her finding those nuances. The Groundlings alum made a name for himself in the early 2000s with his sharp improv work on sitcoms like Curb your enthusiasm And The Drew Carey Show, then came the standout role of “sweet” Dee Reynolds in the cruel comedy It’s always sunny in Philadelphia—still on the air and with season 17 coming soon. She is currently producing a new network television vehicle (ABC’s High potential), led Fox’s Mick, and more delicious Hack material along the way, with the newly pregnant DJ and her mother starting to think about healing some old family wounds.

As always, for Olson, there’s a lot going on. In an exclusive chat with Vanity Fair, We begin with “The Roast of Deborah Vance.”

Vanity Fair: As a long-time fan of your work, I wondered, for starters, what it feels like to play the notes a little deeper, like in this episode. You’re mostly known for your broader comedy than you have to do Hack.

Kaitlin Olson: It’s wonderful, if not only for the sheer boredom of it—just doing the same thing over and over again. [Laughs] I like playing loud, crazy, mean and irrational characters. I never want to stop, but it’s fun to mix it up. Everything you try so hard to get the attention of the most important person in your life can be both hilarious and completely heartbreaking.

Hilary Bronwyn Gayle/Max.

You star here in a recurring capacity, so I’m assuming you knew you’d be in a certain number of episodes. Those preliminary conversations with the producers of Hack?

The collaboration I created with Paul [W. Downs] And Jen [Statsky] And Lucia [Aniello] it was lovely, because I said from the beginning, “I love your show so much that I don’t want to be in a bunch of episodes where I’m just in the background. If I show up, I want to be able to contribute something special.” So when they told me about this episode, I was like, “Yeah, that’s what I’m talking about.” I know that my character is going to get pregnant this year, which is amazing. That brings so many layers to a person. So I kept talking to them about what they were looking for and what I could contribute. It feels collaborative and that’s not always the case.

I know you come from an improv background. Have you ever done stand-up?

Once. In my 20s. It was a disaster. An absolute disaster. Public speaking and stand-up comedy—you’d think I’d never been on stage before. I hate it. I don’t like being myself in front of people, I like being a character. Give a lot of respect to those who are good at it. But no, thank you. Not interested.

So here’s a bit of redemption.

Yes, that’s right. I had to pretend, and now maybe I’ll succeed on my next try.

You just need a slogan.

And maybe it should always be “what a bitch!” because it was just a huge hit. [Laughs]