2 days ago
Michaela Watkins Loves HR Representatives (And Not Just Because She Plays One on 'Hacks') (Exclusive)
This season, Hacks introduced us to HR representative Stacey, played by Michaela Watkins. At first glance, Stacey might be poised to be the voice of reason and someone who could lead Deborah (Jean Smart) and Ava (Hannah Einbiner) to reconciliation. And while the comedians appear to be back on the same page at this point in this season, one has to wonder just how much of that progress is thanks to their well-meaning but delightfully awkward chaperone.
Watkins is no stranger to comedies, having appeared on shows like The New Adventures of Old Christine, Search Party and Enlightened, and she thrives her ability to oscillate between grounded sincerity and offbeat humor.
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Watkins sat down with Parade for an exclusive interview to discuss her role on the Emmy Award–winning series. She reflected on Stacey's peculiar presence, the balance between improvisation and sharp scripting, and the comedians, both past and present, who continue to shape her comedic voice.
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Grace Leeder: Let's talk aboutStacey. I feel like when we first meet her, she seems like she's going to be the normal person in the room. But she is odd. I wonder is she odd or is she just odd in particular situation she's found herself in, chaperoning Deborah and Ava?
Michaela Watkins: I think that when Stacey is with other Stacey's, she's not that odd. I think she is particularly odd when she is with them. That said, I think Stacey is odd. She's a bit out there. I wouldn't be friends with her! So when Stacey is with other Stacey's, she's totally fine. But with these two - they're cool, they're savvy, they're smart. They're 20 steps ahead of Stacey. I think that she is over her head with these two. It's sort of "Bring Your Annoying Aunt to Work Day."
I've seen a lot of HR people who Stacey reminds me of. Did you do HR homework for this type of role?
For any series that you're on, there's usually a sexual harassment seminar that they have for the cast and crew. Over the course of five to ten years, you've been in enough of them. I always love them. I find them very interesting because, in some ways, as our culture progresses (or as we are regressing right now in America), the goalposts move a little. I think it's important to bring everyone up to speed, which is a great thing. I always feel like I take away something. The people who lead it understand that it's full of cynical actors and so they are very funny and entertaining.
It's sort of like if you get a traffic violation and have to go take traffic school with a stand-up comedian. They always seem like you could see yourself hanging out with them. I'm always like, "that was a nice person!" Stacey feels more corporate. She doesn't feel cool for cool actors. She feels like all the cool ones were taken and they were left with Stacey, who was doing seminars for Merck or grocery store corporations or something.
The writing on is so sharp. Do you mostly work with the script that was given? Is there a lot of improv on set?
The writing is so sharp and so funny that you don't have to tinker much. I think the trio (Paul Downs, LuciaAniello and JenStatsky) like to hire people where if they do go rogue, it's not going to be a waste of anyone's time. So, when Megan Statler goes off on her things, they must use so much of it. Same with Paul, because he's also a writer. They're not so precious that they don't want you to do anything else, and yet they're very specific about getting some of their lines out there. It's a very fun little dance. They want you to competently show up and do the script and they leave room for Jesus. If you have inspiration that comes in, they're not going to fight you on that.
I love how is a celebration of different generations of female comedians. Do you have a comedian you look up to from a previous generation?
They had CarolBurnett on the show and she is timeless. I do feel like if she hit the boards now, we would be hailing her as a comedic genius as much as we did then. She has always been in her own little orb of hilarity and timelessness. She's just very unique in every way. I think it surpasses the time space continuum.
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And how about a comedian from a younger generation?
I keep bringing up Megan Statler in these interviews. I came across her online, and I thought she was a legitimate weird person and then I realized, "Oh, she is having me on right now". She's not that lady. This is a comedian I had never seen before. I think that she has a fresh, hilarious sensibility of comedy that I just love. John Early, too. I do feel like they could both be from any time. They have good, old fashioned senses of humor. They're not reliant on things like being the most blue or the most salacious or sardonic. It's just that you can feel like when they go off and do their thing, it's amazing. Kate Berlant, too. Her one woman show is art. It's the people whose comedy is real art and you're not being manipulated by them. You're looking at the world through their point of view and it's a hilarious one.
I do also want to say that when I was looking through your filmography for this interview, it clicked just how many things I love that you've been in. and !
You saw Suze?
Yeah!
It felt like nobody knows Suze.
I am Canadian.
Oh, you are? Okay, yeah. I felt like nobody found Suze! Did you like it?
Yeah, I loved it. It's so sweet!
Oh amazing. Well, thank you for saying that.
