Beloved Hollywood star Jean Smart is opening up about a serious health scare she experienced while filming season 3 of “Hacks”. In an emotional new interview with Variety, she offered a calm, candid reflection on a moment that changed her perspective.
The Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning actress revealed that she went straight from set to the hospital, where she ultimately underwent triple bypass surgery.
HBO“I had gotten used to feeling a little pressure, like if I’d go up a couple of flights of stairs. But it would always just go away,” she told Variety.
Subtle Symptoms That Went Unnoticed
HBOIn hindsight, Smart said nothing about the experience initially felt alarming.
While filming a physically demanding scene in the episode “Yes, And,” in which her character, Deborah, attends a frat party, she remembers feeling slightly worn out but not concerned.
“After several takes, I was like, ‘Did you get it? Was that enough?’ I was feeling a little tired. But I didn’t think anything of it,” she told Variety.
At the time, Smart said she chalked it up to everyday fatigue rather than anything more serious.
“I would always think, ‘Jean, you’re in such crappy shape.’ It didn’t ever occur to me that it might be anything other than the fact that I needed to exercise more.”
A Turning Point That Led Her to Seek Help
HBOSmart said the turning point came when she continued to feel unwell and realized she needed to seek medical care.
After losing her husband of nearly 35 years, Richard Gilliland, in 2021, she said the thought of her children guided her decision to act.
“I thought, ‘You haven’t seen your cardiologist in a long time. Don’t be stupid. Your kids [sons Connor and Forrest] just lost their dad!’ So I left her a message, since it was after hours. I said, ‘I know I probably can’t get in to see you this week, but maybe I should do a stress test or something.’ Her service called back instantly and said, ‘Yeah, you’re gonna go to the nearest emergency room right now!’ ”
Smart Listened to Her Body and Rushed to the ER While Filming ‘Hacks’
HBOEven then, Smart chose to finish her scene before stepping away. Once she wrapped, she made a quiet but firm decision.
“I told him, ‘Flag on the play. We’re not going back home. We’re going to the hospital.”
At the same time, co-creator and co-star Paul W. Downs happened to be at Cedars-Sinai Hospital, where his mother was undergoing surgery.
He stayed by Smart’s side as she met with doctors and began to understand the seriousness of her condition.
“I often wonder how much Jean remembers, because it was so stressful,” Downs said.
“Her children had just lost their father, and I think she didn’t want to scare them, so they weren’t there. Obviously, her husband wasn’t there. I think she was waiting for her brother to fly in. And so I was there with her as she was talking to surgeons and hearing them say, ‘You can’t get a stent. You have to get a triple bypass.”
Smart said she spoke with multiple surgeons before moving forward with the procedure. The weight of it all did not fully sink in until afterward.
“I wasn’t really scared until I woke up the next day, and I’m thinking about what they had to do,” she said. “You start to feel so fragile.”
Her co-star Hannah Einbinder was there when she woke up, offering support and admiration.
“She is the most durable woman in America,” Einbinder said, as per Variety.
Facing Surgery and Finding Strength
Once at the hospital, Smart learned the seriousness of her condition.
“Hacks” co-creator and co-star Paul W. Downs was also there and offered support.
“I was there with her as she was talking to surgeons and hearing them say, ‘You can’t get a stent. You have to get a triple bypass,” he said.
Smart admitted the reality of the situation set in after the procedure.
“I wasn’t really scared until I woke up the next day, and I’m thinking about what they had to do,” she said. “You start to feel so fragile.”
Smart says she is grateful to have been surrounded by steady support from her colleagues and loved ones throughout her recovery.
Her co-star Hannah Einbinder spoke warmly about her strength, telling Variety, “She is the most durable woman in America … I tell her this all the time.”
Through her openness, Smart offers a gentle reminder to pay attention to one’s health and seek care when something does not feel right, even in the middle of a busy life.
Her story is not only one of resilience, but of grace and courage, continuing to inspire both on and off screen.
