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From sitcoms and rom-coms to crime-thrillers and superhero flicks, Jean Smart has never once shied away from delivering perfectly. With her brilliant acting chops, she brings something new to the table every time, never ceasing to amuse fans and live up to their expectations. The same happened while she was working on her 2019 dramaWatchmenas well.
Widely regarded as one of her best works to date, not only did it become a worthy addition to her already star-studded resume but also added to her many gleaming Emmy nods and wins. But surprisingly enough, her role in the series wasn’t originally meant to be hers. If anything, Smart will forever be indebted to Sigourney Weaver for gifting her one of the best roles of her career!
Jean Smart Owes HerWatchmenRole to Sigourney Weaver
Over the years, actressJean Smarthas embodied quite a few characters across multiple different genres, fitting perfectly enough in the roles to be deemed irreplaceable. The same stands true for her critically acclaimed, smash-hit superhero-drama seriesWatchmenas well, in which she starred as the incredibly interesting retired masked vigilante, Laurie Blake.
For those who may be unversed, Laurie is a special agent who takes the mantle of this masked avenger from her mother, Sally Jupiter. A liberal-thinking said to be a modern woman who pretty much followed a misanthropic philosophy and a shoot-first-think-later mindset, she is a contrasting character with both dark and bright sides to herself.
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While theDesigning Mindsactress did a truly remarkable job at bringing a slightly older version of her character to life, what’s surprising is that she knew nothing about it all – neither the respective character nor the series. What’s even more stunning than this is the fact that she could only portray this character afterSigourney Weaverturned down the job.
All of these revelations came in an interview withThe Hollywood Reporterwhere Smart didn’t hesitate to let out how grateful she was to Weaver for rejecting the role. Talking about the role, she said:
As for Watchmen, Sigourney Weaver turned it down, which is why I got the role. Thank you, Sigourney. I had no idea what Watchmen was! What a part.
Of course, it is truly commendable that, despite not having any prior knowledge of the character or her story arc whatsoever,the 73-year-old actressstill managed to pull it all off in the most iconic way possible. Taking the 96% rating the show has on Rotten Tomatoes into consideration, now even we’re glad Weaver turned down that role to pave the way for Smart!
“Everything I could possibly want for my next job”: Jean Smart on Her Other Best Role
While Laurie Blake still ranks as one of Smart’s best roles to date which even won her a Critics’ Choice Television award for Best Supporting Actress and an Emmy nod in the Outstanding Supporting Actress category, it isn’t the only one that launched her to extraordinary heights of fame. Adding to her brilliant Emmy nods and wins collection isher other all-time best series,Hacks.
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Starring as the leading Deborah Vance in the comedy-drama, she revealed that she relates to her character in ways more than one. Apart from her“bitterness and anger,”which Smartunderstandsbut doesn’t reciprocate, she feels she not only looks and laughs like Deborah but also shares similar interests with her, like liking leopard print and being sarcastic enough to make people laugh.
That’s not all. It seems like, for this role, Smart knew right from the start what she wanted. As she continued to confess to THR:
When I read the script [for Hacks], I said, “This is everything I could possibly want for my next job.” But I needed to be sure that real stand-ups could believe I was a comic. I had never been a comedian, so they were the real litmus test. And I passed, I think!
Well, to say the least, Jean Smart seems to have more than just“passed”when it comes to her embodiment of these two respective characters. This stands true not only because of the tremendous scores both of them have received on the Tomatometer (Hacksis rated 99%!) but also the threenew Emmysher comedy show has added to her already brilliantly lit collection.
Watchmen and Hacks can currently be streamed on Prime Video.
Mahin Sultan
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2478
Mahin Sultan is a Senior Writer at FandomWire, where she brings a fresh perspective to entertainment news. Having been in the field for over 3 years now, she has already written more than 2,000 articles across a variety of niches, from entertainment to health and fashion. This diverse experience has allowed her to quickly build a solid foundation and a deep understanding of the industry.
