It’s official: Jean Smart has taken home a second Golden Globe award for her portrayal of Deborah Vance in Hacks. “What can I say? I’m a greedy bitch,” she teased.
The Hacks cast has certainly not shied away from making their political stances known on red carpets or award shows, and that includes Jean. During her acceptance speech, she began, “There is just a lot that could be said tonight,” before alluding to the “rants” she made on the red carpet earlier in the night.
“Let’s all do the right thing. I think everybody in their heart knows what the right thing is to do, so let’s do the right thing,” she concluded, before walking off the stage with her award.
Jean kept her comments brief and a bit cryptic on air during the official ceremony, so let’s take a look at exactly what she had to say on the red carpet about the state of the U.S. at this moment in time. First off, Jean was one of a number of celebrities donning “Be Good” pins, which are a tribute to Renee Nicole Good, who was murdered by an ICE agent earlier this week in Minneapolis.
In an interview with Variety, she discussed how she’s lost optimism in the world, saying, “I hope that people realize how important what’s going on is right now… This is kind of a moment of reckoning, I think, in this country. I just hope that people do the right thing. Almost everybody knows in their hearts what is the right thing.”
She got a bit more specific in conversation with ET, saying, “Everything’s kind of a little bit overshadowed with what’s going on in our country. I feel like we’re kind of at a turning point in this country, and I hope people keep their heads, because that’s actually going to be the hardest thing… that’s gonna take a lot of courage and a lot of strength, but I think that’s important. I feel like there are certain entities that would maybe like us to fight back, and possibly…you know. It’s very concerning.”
“I know there are people who find it annoying when actors take opportunities like this to talk about social or political things,” she began, in an attempt to get ahead of the criticism of her speaking out. “But I’m not here right now speaking as an actor, I’m just here right now speaking as a citizen, and a mom, and I hope people understand that.”
“I don’t feel like my opinion matters any more than anyone else’s, that’s not at all what I’m doing. I feel like if you feel strongly about something, and you have the chance to share your feelings or encourage people or cheer somebody on, you should do it,” she concluded.