Transcript
Jean Smart (0:02)
Lemonade.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus (0:06)
I just had a birthday a little while ago, which seems to happen almost every year, and it got me thinking about time. You know how they say time flies when you're having fun? Which is true. I mean, it really does. But time also flies when you're getting old. I was in line for coffee at the airport, and this was just yesterday. And the woman behind the counter looks at me and says, seinfeld, right? And I nod yes. And then she turns to the barista next to her and says, she's from Seinfeld. And the barista says, before my time. And I thought, no, no silent movies. That's before my time. I mean, come on, man. My time is now. Isn't it? Isn't it? I mean, there's some social media thing about the 1990s going around. I don't know if you've seen it. And my publicist said to post something from the 90s because everybody's doing it. So I asked my assistant to. Okay, hang on. I sound. Honestly, I sound like a complete Hollywood asshole. I just said my publicist and my assistant in the same sentence. They are actual people. Lindsey Krug is my publicist and one of my favorite friends ever. And Will Schlegel is my lovely and very kind assistant. But back to thinking about time. So Lindsay said, hop on this trend and post something. And I was incredibly busy, so I asked Will if he could do it, and he posted this little montage of me from the 90s. You know, Seinfeld shows and awards stuff and, you know, life in general. And as always, he did a great job. But when I saw it, I thought, whoa, that period of my life feels like last month. I mean, it feels so familiar. So now it doesn't feel old timey at all. But these photos are from like 30 years ago. 30 years ago or more even. How is this possible? 30 years. Time is just flying. I mean, it is flying. I have nothing profound to say about this. Just nothing. I mean, I know it's obvious, but I really feel it. So look, I have an equation for you. If Your mom was 30 years old when you were born, then when she was 40, you were 10. And that means that you were 25% of her age. But when she's 60 years old, you'll be 30, and that's 50% of her age. So you'll be 25% closer to her age than you were when you were 10. And from that day on, you'll keep getting closer in age. And when she turns 100, you'll be 70% of her age. You're catching up. I mean, you are kind of aging faster and faster as you get older. Life really is flying by, in fact. So we better grab as much of it as we can. You know, the good, the bad, the terrifying, the thrilling, all of it. That's what the women on this podcast keep reminding me. How fantastic then, to talk to someone today who is grabbing more life right now than ever, maybe even 100% of it. The unstoppable Jean Smart. I'm Julia Louis Dreyfus, and this is Wiser Than Me, the podcast where I get schooled by women who are wiser than me. Can you believe that Hacks is in its fifth and final season? I mean, like I just said, time really does fly when you're having fun. And if you're watching Jean Smart on Hacks, you are having fun. And so is she. Four Emmys in, and she's still killing as Deborah Vance, a legendary female comedian in her 70s, clawing her way back to relevance in the twilight of her career. In an industry that worships youth and shoves it to the top of the call sheet, that alone feels radical. In Hacks, Jean is the oldest woman in the room. Playing the oldest woman in the room, she squeezes out every possible laugh and more few preferred can deliver a cutting one liner followed by a moment of quiet heartbreak with the same precision as Jean Smart. But I mean, to tell you the truth, she's been doing that for decades. A lot of us first fell in love with her as sweet Charlene in Designing Women in the late 80s. Then she popped up on Frasier as Lana Gardner, loud, hilarious, and unforgettable, a role that won Jean her first two Primetime Emmy awards. And on the not so funny side, she was racking stuff like Fargo and the Watchmen and Mayor of Easttown. Ugh, the best. And then she topped it all with Deborah Vance. It's a role that reminded a lot of viewers just how formidable Jean Smart is. Along the way, she was happily married for 30 plus years to her husband, Richard Gilliland, whom she lost five years ago. Together they raised two kids, one of whom they adopted when Jean was 57. What? What? How many women in their 70s have a teenager? And you know, we're going. For years now, she has used her platform for advocacy. Jean, who is diagnosed with type 1 diabetes as a teenager, has even testified before the United States Congress about diabetes research funding. And after losing her father to Alzheimer's disease, she's also been active in raising awareness for Alzheimer's research. Please welcome a mother, an advocate, a Grammy nominee, a Tony nominee, a three time Golden Globe winner, and a seven time Emmy award winner. My first favorite kind of actor, a working actor, and a woman who is, yes, very much wiser than me. Jean Smart. Hi, Jean.