While conceiving what would become Max's exquisite comedy, “Hacks,” alongside his wife Lucia Aniello and longtime collaborator Jen Statsky, Paul W. Downs clearly had his eye on the role of talent manager Jimmy, whose clients include both legendary comedian Deborah Vance (Jean Smart) and up-and-coming comedy writer Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbinder).
Subtlety had no place in the room. “Actually, the pitch said the actor would have brown hair, blue eyes and these teeth, and so I smiled,” says the unassuming Downs, 41, over Zoom from the Los Angeles home he shares with Aniello and their young son. “In the script for the pilot, it said, ‘Jimmy (Paul W. Downs), in a Tom Ford suit that he can keep.’ So yeah, the plan was always for me to do it. I wasn’t given a Tom Ford suit, but otherwise, getting the part was pretty cool.”
Despite the ensemble cast, Downs wears many hats on “Hacks”: writer, producer, showrunner, director, actor. He’s also played many of these roles (sometimes all of them) on other projects, including the Scarlett Johansson comedy “Rough Night” and the 20-something-starring comedy “Broad City.”
“For me, they go so hand in hand that they feed off of each other,” she says of her various responsibilities, adding that she initially started writing so she could act. “Coming from an acting background has helped my writing and obviously being so in the thick of it [‘Hacks’] “It certainly helps me as an actor.”
The pairing of Paul W. Downs and Meg Stalter as his clueless assistant is one of the highlights of “Hacks.”
(HBO Maxima)
The challenge, he notes, is to never favor his character just because he plays it. “I’m the last one to suggest Jimmy and also the first one in the edit to say, ‘We could cut a couple of Jimmy’s lines if we need to adjust the scene,’” he says. “But the nice thing about it is that when I’m in the writers’ room, I can get into character and do a little bit of ad-libbing, and often, that becomes part of the dialogue.”
Downs says he’s surprised and humbled by the “absolute thrill” of being nominated for his performance this year (in addition to nominations for writing and comedy series). Critics, viewers and Academy voters are surely less surprised, since Jimmy’s role was expanded in Season 3 — organically, Downs is quick to point out.
“With Deborah’s goal of getting this late-night talk show, her manager was going to be instrumental in making that happen,” he says. “It was more about the story than us finding ways for Jimmy to exist on the show.”
Fans of the series need no other reason for Jimmy to exist than his working relationship with his clueless but self-assured assistant Kayla, played by Meg Stalter, whom Downs calls “a brilliant scene partner.” “That has also fostered what would have been a natural progression for the character.”
Making people laugh has been “what made me feel most connected to people,” says Paul W. Downs.
(Jennifer McCord / For The Times)
Growing up in rural New Jersey as the oldest child of parents with a great sense of humor, Downs has always considered making people laugh to be the fuel that feeds his soul. “It’s what has made me feel the most connected to people,” he says. “As an eccentric, weird kid, it’s what makes me feel a little less alone.”
Downs studied theater and improv at Duke University, but considers Upright Citizens Brigade (Chicago’s famed improv and sketch comedy training center) to be his “graduate school for clowns.” It’s where he met Aniello and began doing solo shows, and where the pair began creating digital short films.
With “Hacks,” Downs is not short of talented scene partners. Her fellow nominee, for example, Einbinder, is now on her third Emmy nomination and has so far never won. “She is so, so good. It’s crazy. I can’t believe she’s someone who hadn’t been on screen before ‘Hacks.’ And how much she’s grown. But also, the fact that she was there from day one,” Downs says, quick to mention her decency and dedication as well.
“I think there are times on set where I can even see Jean [Smart] Recognize how supernaturally talented you are [Einbinder] I mean, I've thought about this and I think I might be more excited for Hannah than myself. [at the Emmys] “Because she deserves it and she works so hard. She’s a stand-up comedian. She really cares about comedy. The show is much more poignant for her. It’s much more personal for her because she’s a disciple of comedy with a capital C.”
“We have big stakes for Season 4, because it really is… [Deborah Vance’s] “The biggest challenge as a character,” Downs says.
(Jennifer McCord / For The Times)
Now that Downs, Aniello and Statsky are preparing season four for filming in September, do you have any thoughts you can share? “We pick up the story very, very soon after [the end of Season 3]“So it hasn't been that long,” he says. “People enjoyed the momentum that Deborah had because getting that [late-night show] For a woman, especially a woman of her age, getting the director's job was a Herculean task. But what we keep saying as we go through Season 4 is that getting the job is actually the easy part. Launching a successful late-night show and keeping it going is nearly impossible. Especially, again, for a woman. So we have some big challenges for Season 4, because that's actually her biggest challenge as a character.
“And this time, there’s all the friction between her and Ava. It’s very juicy. We have a lot of fun watching them compete while trying to do something that they both care deeply about.”
Regardless of what happens at the Emmys this year, it's clear that Max owes Downs that lawsuit against Tom Ford.
