You might have noticed Emily’s mother Margaret is looking a little different in Another Simple Favor – and that’s because Jean Smart was recast for exactly the reason you’re thinking.
If you’ve watched A Simple Favor, you’ll know how quietly important Margaret McLanden is in revealing Emily’s (Blake Lively) true life. Emily’s real name is Hope McLanden, allegedly having an abusive childhood that led to her and her twin sister Faith killing their father.
When Emily goes missing years later, Stephanie (Anna Kendrick) tries to uncover her past. Tracking down her real identity, she poses as an insurance agent to talk to Margaret (Jean Smart) and put the final pieces together.
However, Jean Smart isn’t back for Another Simple Favor, with Margaret now being played by Elizabeth Perkins. Why isn’t Smart in the new movie? For the exact reason you’re likely thinking about.
Hacks Season 4 is why Jean Smart was recast in Another Simple Favor
Speaking to Dexerto, Another Simple Favor director Paul Feig confirmed Jean Smart was filming Hacks Season 4 when film production was underway, meaning she couldn’t return.
“Jean wanted to, but she’s so busy on that show Hacks,” Feig said. “And she was doing a Broadway thing. Jean was the only person who we couldn’t work out the schedule with. But then Elizabeth Perkins, I’ve worked with three times, is allowed to step into somebody else’s shoes.
“She just had so much fun, and she brings so much of that character. But we covered it with that one line! Very proud of what I wrote.”
In the sequel, Emily’s new mother-in-law Portia (Elena Sofia Ricci) brings Margaret and Aunt Linda (Alison Janney) – who we’ve never met before – to her wedding in Capri, getting a small slice of revenge for the wedding she doesn’t want to go ahead.
When Emily frostily reunites with them, she remarks that her mom looks different. “I had some work done,” Margaret replies, immediately addressing the recast without making it a big deal.
Hacks Season 4 began on April 10, opening to a Rotten Tomatoes score of 100% before it even aired (it’s now 97% as of writing). For her role of Deborah Vance, Smart consecutively won the Critics’ Choice Television Award for Best Actress in a Comedy Series in 2022 and 2023, and then once again in 2025.
Smart might have swapped Another Simple Favor for more success on the small screen, but there’s a chance Season 5 will be the last.
Speaking to Harper’s Bazaar, she said, “Well, from the beginning, they have said that they had a five-year story arc, and that’s how they sold the show. That’s what they said from the beginning, and I think that’s still pretty much their game plan.
“Obviously we all say, ‘Never say never,’ but I think that would be just about right. It would be very hard and sad to do, and to leave, but I think that feels right. You wanna leave them wanting more. You don’t wanna overstay your welcome.”
Another Simple Favor is streaming on Prime Video now. For more, catch up with Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell dating rumors, why Blake Lively is suing Justin Baldoni, and anticipated 2025 releases you cannot miss.
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