‘Hacks’ Co-Star Kaitlin Olson On DJ Finding Resilience, Confidence in Season 3

Kaitlin Olson has appeared in dozens of your favorite films and televisions over the past 20 years, but we appear to be entering the white-hot phase of her already stellar career.

Last summer, she appeared in her 16th (?!?!) season as Deandra “Sweet Dee” Reynolds in FX’s fan-favorite sitcom It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia with husband Rob McElhenney. This fall, she will headline and produce High Potential, an ABC drama developed by Drew Goddard based on the French detective series HIP (High Intellectual Potential). Based on early advanced buzz, the early green light seemed like a no-brainer.

And Olson’s continued work on MAX’s Hacks again has her in the running for an Emmy nomination in the Guest Actress in a Comedy Series race. We all know that Olson is a genuinely funny actress, but her acclaimed season three turn as Deborah Vance’s (Jean Smart) daughter DJ proves that she’s more than that — she’s an accomplished comedic actress who can evolve her characters in rich and meaningful ways.

That ability to imbue her characters with real human emotions stems from her deep understanding of people.

“I find deep insecurity and the way people compensate for that so fascinating. I can see it in everyone, and people handle their insecurities in different ways. To me, there’s just something so human and so funny about vulnerability,” Olson explained. “With DJ and Deborah, it’s so tragic that this person has been trying to get her mom’s attention for her whole life now into adulthood. There’s a stunted growth thing there where she still behaves like a toddler because she’s desperately trying to get her mom’s attention. There’s something so sweet and so painful and so inherently funny about that.”

Returning to Hacks season after season in a guest capacity definitely has its perks. First and foremost, she continues building and evolving her working relationship with star Jean Smart. Olson loves to play scenes opposite Smart because of their deep love and admiration for each other. Olson praises Smart’s ability to be 100 percent invested in the characters at all times. Their collaboration is boosted by the flawless scripts and inspired direction from one of television’s most celebrated creative teams.

That enviable combination creates a space in which Olson creatively thrives.

“I’ve enjoyed all of the shows I’ve worked on but it’s very special to find such a beautiful collaboration and show runners who know exactly what they’re looking for and exactly what they want and have made such incredible casting decisions. I think it’s a very special set for sure. And I think it comes across with when you watch the episodes,” Olson said.

As great as Olson is across her appearances within season three, writers developed two highly memorable character moments for DJ in the episode “The Roast of Deborah Vance.”

First, after struggling with alcohol abuse, DJ finally finds herself on the sober side of life. In yet another (perhaps foolhardy) attempt to win her mother’s approval and respect, she invites Deborah to an Alcoholics Anonymous chip ceremony. There, Deborah must say a few words of positivity and praise for DJ’s honorable commitment, but Deborah turns it into a test run for future comedy bits.

Devastated that Deborah has again failed her in a moment of intense vulnerability, DJ lashes out at her in spectacular fashion, revealing her pregnancy along the way.

“Maybe because I am a mom, but the idea that one of your first thoughts when you find out that you’re pregnant — which is maybe the greatest feeling in the entire world — would be how to protect this baby from your own mother is so heartbreaking to me. That scene is a really great example of where good writing can very easily lead to a good performance because I was moved by those words,” Olson shared. “And I was moved by looking into [Jean’s] eyes and watching her be so heartbroken by hearing what DJ has to say. It was just a very special scene, I think, for Jean and for myself.”

But Olson’s shining moment within the episode emerges when DJ, having written her own roast material for her mother, commands the stage unexpectedly. Convinced that DJ will be unable to perform, Deborah secretly works behind the scenes through Ava (Hannah Einbinder), first offering to write the bits herself and later trying to determine how bad DJ’s jokes will ultimately be. DJ, seeing an opportunity to purge decades of unspoken resentments, unleashes her most crass thoughts and develops a seemingly horrifying catchphrase: “What a c—!”

But DJ rises to the occasion and becomes a sensation. It’s a rare, unexpected, and richly deserved win for the character, and Olson nails every moment.

“There’s a resilience that has finally started to manifest. Remember, it’s not just DJ anymore. She now has a responsibility to be a mom and to stand up for someone else. Sometimes it’s often easier to stand up for someone else than it is to stand up for yourself,” Olson remarked. “She believed in herself. Something as stupid as that catchphrase, she believed in it. As ridiculous and as funny as it is, it wasn’t funny to her. She had an idea, and nobody believed in her. For whatever reason it worked, and I’m so glad it did. The redemption in that episode for this character was just so lovely.”

Lovely and beautifully performed by Olson.

Hacks streams exclusively on MAX.