Jean Smart has revealed her favorite concert of all time — and her pick caught her co-star off-guard.
Smart, 74, and Hannah Einbinder sat down for an interview Wednesday with CNN’s Elex Michaelson to promote the fifth season of Hacks, and Michaelson ended the segment with rapid-fire questions for the stars of the HBO Max comedy show.
The interview then quickly descended into chaos when he asked the hilarious duo to pick their favorite concert they each have ever attended.
Smart answered almost immediately with a deadpan expression: “Harry Styles.”
Einbinder, who had just paused to think about her answer, burst out laughing in shock at Smart’s pick, responding, “Really?”
“He puts on an amazing show,” Smart said defensively.
Einbinder, 30, responded, “I just would think that in your entire life...” before Smart interrupted her to say that she does not go to concerts regularly.
However, she then added that she once saw The Beatles perform.
Michaelson and Einbinder, both incredulous at her confession, jumped in to question Smart and interrupted each other in the process as the Emmy-winning actor waited for them to hear her out.
She explained: “First of all, I was 12. I was in the nosebleeds section. I could not see or hear anything.”
Smart said she was not impressed by the iconic band because they stood still and played their songs while shaking their hair, which she said paled in comparison to Styles, 32, who is known for his energetic performances.
Einbinder dropped her jaw and laughed as Smart added, “It’s not like they were running the breadth of the stage and doing all sorts of cool stuff.”
Michaelson and Einbinder then exclaimed in unison: “Jean Smart says Harry Styles is better than the Beatles!”
As Smart protested the remark, Einbinder screamed, “She said it!” and pointed to CNN crew members behind the camera, saying, “You saw it! You saw it! You saw it!”
Smart yelled back in response, “I said he puts on a better show!”
Einbinder and Smart’s quick-witted back-and-forth mirrors their iconic dynamic in Hacks, in which Smart plays a veteran comic who is paired up with Einbinder’s jaded joke-writer to revive her career.
After five years on television and 12 Emmy Awards — including four Best Lead Actress in a Comedy wins for Smart and one Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy for Einbinder — the show’s fifth and final season premieres Thursday.
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