Kathryn Hahn has got to be one of the most talented yet underrated actresses of our time. Over the years, she has graduated from fluffy roles in films like How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days to stunning performances in Private Life and This Is Where I Leave You.
When it comes to television, she gave the most exquisite performance in Transparent, had us genuinely falling about laughing with her turn on Parks and Recreation and, of course, has more recently been acclaimed for her performance in Wandavision (for which she was nominated for an Emmy).
We also happen to share a birthday, but I’m not suggesting that is why she is so brilliant…or am I?
At any rate, Hahn is just one of those artists who just melts away into her characters and manages to steal every scene she is in. Therefore, it is the most perfect casting news ever that she will be taking on the role of the ultimate scene-stealer — the late, great Joan Rivers.
Hahn is attached to play Rivers in The Comeback Girl — a limited series in development from mega-showrunner Greg Berlanti.
The series’ official synopsis reads: “Trailblazer. Adored. Cruel. Diva. Joan Rivers had a life like no other. At age 54, she was a superstar comedienne…and then it all fell apart. THE COMEBACK GIRL is the awe-inspiring untold story of how Joan Rivers persevered through near suicide and professional abyss to rebuild herself and her career to become a global icon.”
The Comeback Girl documents the time in Rivers’ life when The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers (which made Rivers the first woman to host a late-night talk show) had just been cancelled and her husband Edgar Rosenberg had died by suicide.
Rivers herself died at age 81 on September 4, 2014, several days after undergoing a routine endoscopy on her throat.
In 2010, she was the star and subject of the documentary Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work, which revolved around the comedian trying to rebuild her career after a period of unemployment. The film documented just how hard Rivers worked — even taking stand-up gigs in tiny venues in small American towns — in order to keep the money coming in and her razor-sharp brain active.
Hahn, who will also serve as executive producer on the series, will next be seen in Apple TV’s The Shrink Next Door and Rian Johnson’s Knives Out 2.
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