Hannah Einbinder Says Jim Carrey Inspired Her Sense of Comedy: ‘I Think His Physical Style Spoke to Me’

Known mostly for her Emmy and Golden Globe nominated performance as writer and comedian Ava Daniels on the television series “Hacks,” Hannah Einbinder is ready to share more about herself with her new Max comedy special, “Everything Must Go,” premiering on the streamer June 13.

“It feels like the most intimate extension of myself, being and soul that I am sharing,” Einbinder said recently in an interview with the LA Times.

More from IndieWire

• Elizabeth Debicki and Emma Corrin Found Researching Princess Diana Before Playing Her on 'The Crown' Difficult: 'It Was a Double-Edged Sword'

• 'Hacks' Showrunners on the Season 3 Finale: 'We Like to Have the Audience Feel the Rug Is Pulled Out from Under Them'

The special is something Einbinder’s been preparing for her entire life and includes personal anecdotes on topics ranging from her sense of religion to her experiences as a competitive cheerleader.

“It was a huge chunk of my life and it was my first real passion for performance,” Einbinder said of her time as a “flyer” on the cheerleading squad at Beverly Hills High School. “I was very dedicated to perfection. I think my work ethic can be very, obviously to me at least, be attributed to my time as a cheerleader.”

As a child, Einbinder also dealt with ADHD, often unable to control her bursts of energy, but channeling them through her comedy inspiration. Explaining her view of that time, she said, “There are many studies that examine the differences in ADHD between little boys and little girls, and I definitely fall on the little boy ADHD side of the spectrum. I was really rambunctious and really I think Jim Carrey’s physical style spoke to me and I kind of started to mimic him.”

Despite catching the comedy bug early in life, it wasn’t until college, when Einbinder got the opportunity to open for Nicole Byer, that she realized how important it would be to her life.

“That was when it became very clear to me,” Einbinder said to the LA Times. “I didn’t really view it as, ‘This is my career.’ I just maybe naively viewed it as like, ‘I’m obsessed with this and I’m going to pursue this and I can’t stop doing it.’”

Thankfully that obsession eventually bore fruit, but Einbinder doesn’t take her success for granted. Recognizing how fortunate she is to be doing what she loves, she said, “I have been given the incredible gift of being able to make art and to be a part of art for a living and I hope to maintain that level of quality… Cut to me in a Shell Oil commercial. No, just kidding, folks.”

Best of IndieWire

• A History of Unsimulated Sex Scenes in 17 Cannes Films, from 'Mektoub' to 'Antichrist' to 'Caligula'

• Guillermo del Toro's Favorite Movies: 54 Films the Director Wants You to See

• Nicolas Winding Refn's Favorite Films: 37 Movies the Director Wants You to See

Sign up for Indiewire's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.