Interview: Harriet Sansom Harris on Her Emmy-Nominated ‘Hacks’ Guest Spot and the Many Roles She Loves from Her Career

Harriet Sansom Harris has delivered so many memorable performances, in series like Desperate Housewives and Ratched, and in small roles in films like Licorice Pizza and Phantom Thread, that you’d think she had a whole shelf of trophies at home. Yet somehow her guest appearance in Hacks this past season marks her very first Emmy nomination, for her role as Susan, an old friend Deborah (Jean Smart) unexpectedly encounters on the road.

Awards Radar had the chance to speak with Harris about getting to be a part of Hacks and how she looks back at all the parts she’s played. On getting to work on the show, Harris shared:

“Oh, it was so much fun. Susan’s a great part. Jean’s a great scene partner. I had two adorable little grandsons, but not a lot of interaction there. Really the whole relationship was with Jean. She’s just a great partner. She’s not just a great actress to look at, to go, oh, that’s a wonderful performance. She’s great to work with.”

On being able to relate to how Susan feels about Deborah’s career, Harris expressed:

“I thought about a lot of friends I had in high school that maybe were interested in acting. They’ve had wonderful lives, but they’ve decided not to do that. I remember very clearly one of my friends that I like a lot, probably forty years ago, said, are you still doing that acting thing? And I said, yes, I am, are you? And she said, no, I grew up. And I thought, wow, okay, I grew up too, but she just lost interest. Other things took over. She had other agendas and other things she wanted more. She was a very talented person, and a very lovely person, and I don’t think she was trying to hurt my feelings. She just had a different idea from what she actually wanted from life.” 

Watch the full conversation below:

Seasons one and two of Hacks are available to stream on HBO Max.