It’s early August and Kaitlin Olson is taking time during her lunch break to chat about “Hacks.” Now a two-time Emmy nominee in the Guest Actress in a Comedy Series category, she’s currently shooting her third ongoing series, “High Potential.” When that wraps she’ll return to film the 17th, yes, 17th season of “It’s Only Sunny in Philadelphia” just three days later. And then, somehow, her very pregnant character DJ, will find her way into the upcoming fourth season of “Hacks.”
READ MORE: ‘Hacks’ showrunners breakdown that shocking season three finale [Interview]
Olson has been a working actress for over two decades and she’s well aware these opportunities don’t come around often. Especially the chance to work with showrunners such as Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, and Jen Statsky or co-stars such as Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder. She knows that “Hacks” is something special.
“Listen, there are a lot of really funny people out there. There are a lot of really smart people out there, a lot of creative people out there,” Olson notes. “When you cram all of that together, all three of them have this just magical formula. I mean, it’s so smart to give Ava and Deborah’s characters a clear arc, but it helps their characters to give the secondary characters clear arcs as well, because it affects her, especially Deborah’s daughter.”
Over the course of our conversation, Olson talks about the unique dynamic between DJ and her mother, what made her say “yes” to jumping aboard “High Potential,” and much more.
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The Playlist: Are you shooting “High Potential” right now?
Yes. Hence these wacky little fingernails.
Love those.
Thank you! Yeah, this is not my normal look.
O.K., so you’re shooting “Potential” and you’re still doing “Always Sunny in Philadelphia” right?
Yeah, so we wrap this in October, and then I think three days later we start shooting “Sunny,” but it’s on the same lot, so I’ll be in the spring of things.
Are you working 45 weeks a year? [Laughs] Will you get a vacation over the next 12 months, or are you just excited to be this busy?
We’ll see. I’ll get back to you. I don’t know. Let’s talk next March and I’ll fill you in. No, I think the last I heard we’re doing 13, we’re going to finish in October, and so I will have, January will be a little bit lighter, so we’re close.
And they will be shooting “Hacks” season four, and we have a very pregnant DJ who must be returning at some point.
Yeah, it’s, it’s a one-day-at-a-time thing over here. Trips to New York. There’s the Emmys. It’s just, I lay down in the evening and I’m like, “O.K.” I work on-site for the next day and just prep for what’s coming. It’s totally fine. Listen, not stressing or sweating at all. It’s all good.
It is all good! This season of hacks was very special in the sense that because of several different circumstances, it was shot over almost two years. The first episode that DJ appears in, episode 3, “The Roast of Deborah Vance,” how long ago was that shot? Do you remember?
Yeah, it was 12 years ago. No, was it like a year and a half ago or something like that too? Two years ago. It must’ve been two years ago, right?
Yes. Or close.
Something like that. It was a long time ago. We were still all masking up. It was the height of COVID. Snacks weren’t put out. Every food was packaged. So it was a long time ago. Yeah, honestly, you look back and you’re like, “Oh, I’m so happy it worked out that way because I do believe it came out at the perfect time.” And it probably gave them extra time to work on it, and I don’t know, it’s just a very special season. I think.
It’s super special. One of the things I appreciate about the show is while Hannah and Jean’s characters clearly have arcs that they’re going through, it’s pleasantly surprising that DJ’s arc is continually growing every season. Was that your reaction when you got the scripts? Did the showrunners give you a heads-up about where DJ was headed?
Yeah, we have conversations and I’m glad you mentioned them. I mean, it’s just such a testament to the writers and the showrunners. Jen and Paul and Lucia are just…they’re just so good. And listen, there are a lot of really funny people out there. There are a lot of really smart people out there, a lot of creative people out there. When you cram all of that together, all three of them have this just magical formula. I mean, it’s so smart to give Ava and Deborah’s characters a clear arc, but it helps their characters to give the secondary characters clear arcs as well, because it affects her, especially Deborah’s daughter. Just the fact that she’s not only pregnant but kind of coming into her own and having realizations about herself and that she maybe isn’t a piece of garbage who has to constantly prove herself to her mom. That has a surprising effect on Deborah. I mean, it turns out, “Oh, Deborah actually kind of likes that DJ relies on her like that and needs her in that way.” I thought it was just really cool and a very smart thing to do.
And, in that “Roast” episode, DJ shows that she’s just as smart as her mom. She can steal the spotlight with some comedy bits too. If you can remember, how fun was that to shoot?
I do. It was very impactful. It was such a fun scene to shoot. I mean, not only because it was just fun. We were surrounded by a bunch of comedians and a bunch of friends, and it was a fun week. But what a special opportunity to be able as an actor, to be funny in an episode, but also be vulnerable, be emotional, and have real human connections with people. It’s a dream job and a dream character for me.
I’m going to assume you have seen the whole season and, specifically, the end of the season. Events happen in the final episode that makes it appear that Deborah is back to her old ways. She’s sort of blown off Ava again and she might now pay for it. Do you think Debra Vance can actually grow at this stage in her life, or do you think this is just who she is and she’s adapting to the times?
I think that the beauty of this character is that the growth is forced, but ultimately the growth is selfish. She wants to be a better mom, but not because she wants to be a better mom. She wants to be a better mom because she wants a relationship with that grandchild. She wants to be loved and adored by your daughter. And I think it’s just so fun to watch a character that is very set in their ways unapologetically, but when they do start to stray from it, you don’t trust that it isn’t selfish in some way.
Do you think in season four DJ will believe that her mom has really matured? And do you think she’s rooting for her in her new late-night gig?
It’s such a good question. I think because DJ is a very broken character and a very stunted growth character, but she’s still a very good person. I think DJ has a very good, sweet heart. All she wants is to be loved and appreciated, and she spent her whole life searching for that in her mom. So I think that I mean, I have no idea what they’re going to write. I imagine it’s going to be brilliant, but I think if I had to guess, it would be that she, despite herself, is excited for her because it’s exciting and she loves seeing her mom happy. When her mom’s mad, everybody’s in trouble. But I think she also sees value now and removing herself from it a bit because it’s not healthy and hopefully she wants to be a good mom. Hopefully, her way of being a good mom is ridiculous and fun and funny, but the desire is there to be a better mom than her mom was.
I thought that was telegraphed to the viewers in the Christmas episode where we find out that DJ has a relationship with her aunt that her mom does not know about. Did you find those sorts of dynamics interesting?
Definitely, and I loved that she was keeping it a secret from her because she knew it would hurt her. Not that she knew it would hurt her, and then she’d get the backlash, but she knew it would hurt her, so she just didn’t want to mention the crib again. I think that’s a difference between DJ and Deborah. She just didn’t want her mom to get hurt, but I love that DJ has this sweet, genuine mother figure in her life who has probably been there the whole time. It’s who she’s probably turned to over the years when she needed to. When she wasn’t getting what she needed from her own mom.
I know this is your second nomination for the show, but what was your reaction when you found out?
So, I had worked a night shoot the night before and completely forgotten that they were being announced. So, I legitimately had no idea, and I’m not a great sleeper anyway, so I rolled over after just sleeping for a couple of hours and just checked my phone for the time. And, there were 17 messages from just the “Hacks” [message] group, and I instantly guessed what it was and then didn’t go back to sleep. I was so excited. I mean, listen, it’s such an honor and it always feels so good to be recognized, but especially when it’s something that you’re so proud of in a show that you just, this isn’t my show. I mean, it’s so special to me because it’s their show. It’s Jen and Paul and Lucia and Hannah and Jean and all of those amazing guest casts. It’s their show. And they did such a wonderful, lovely job of welcoming me and making me feel very much a part of it. It’s weird to be a guest star on someone else’s show. You feel like you’re showing up at a party that’s been going on for a long time, and you only know one person there. This is a different set. Everyone is so excited when I show up and they’re happy to see me and lovely and welcoming. Like I said, we have a “Hacks” text thread. I’m always on it. It was just extra special to be nominated for a show that I’m just so happy for them. I’m happy to be a part of something that somebody else created. I had nothing to do with it, and I got brought in and I get to go along for the ride.
Now you have another of your own shows with “High Potential.” When the script came your way, the project came your way, what made you want to say “Yes”?
Well, it’s a great question because when I heard about it from my agent, I wanted to say “No.” I didn’t have any interest in doing another show, an hour-long drama on a network. I’ve got two kids, I’ve got “Sunny.” I have “Hacks.” I was in the process of developing my next thing, which I really thought would be a comedy on a streaming network. And so I didn’t want to fall in love with it, but I read Drew Goddard’s script and I was instantly into this character. So vibrant and unique and multifaceted, different from anything I’ve played before. It gives me an opportunity to do something different. I was very attracted to the people who had created it. They’re just really smart and talented, and it’s a drama. It’s something different. It’s exciting, it’s a procedural, but I still get to be this quirky, fun fish out of water character and get my hands into this woman and make her special and unique. And that was exciting for me too.
I have not seen the screeners yet, but t I’ve seen the previews, and ABC, at least, is selling it sort of as a dramedy. Is it funny? Or do you feel like it’s more serious with just a little bit of comedy thrown in?
It’s more serious. If you like a police, murder, or procedural, you will love it if you tune in because you want to fall in love with a central character who’s got a family and heart. And I think you’ll fall in love with the other characters in the show for sure. But I would say it is mostly intense and it’s a crime drama. My character’s a cleaning lady that gets brought in and she hates cops. She doesn’t really belong there, but she’s just really smart. They need her, she needs them. She needs money. She’s got three kids and she’s a single mom, so they get thrown together and it ends up working. So each episode is a little bit different as we figure out our tone, but it’s, it’s just so fun. I’m very proud of it.
Are you getting to do fight scenes? Are you getting to do stunts?
Not yet. I do wear heels and very short skirts all the time, so I have to figure out how logistically that will work. My character has not been in a fight yet…but oh wait, that’s not true. In the pilot, I try and attack a police officer and another cop grabs me by the waist and I am trying to get away from him, but it’s not that stunty. I’m just being picked up and trying to get out, trying to get away. I’m always going to want to do my own stunts. I don’t like it when other people do stunts. I’m like, “Well, hold on. Are you going to make it funny? Let me do it.” Play all these crazy long arms and legs and potentially hurt myself. That’s funny.
How many episodes have you shot so far and what’s the season order?
We have 13 we’re doing this season, and we are just finishing up our ninth episode as we speak today.
So, you’re over the hump.
We’re over the hump.
Outside of what you’ve already said, is there anything you would tease viewers about why they should watch “High Potential”?
I think that there’s something for everyone. I mean, I’m a big fan of watching a show that is neither for men or women. Everyone’s going to love it. I think if you love a Murdery police procedural, you’ll love it. I think if you love character-driven shows where you’re invested in the people and you want to tune back in to see what’s going on with them, you’ll love that as well. This has both.
“Hacks” is available on MAX. “High Potential” debuts on ABC on Sept. 17.