Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
If you Which wired reader is used Amnesty International In any creative context, I suggest staying away from anyone involved with the TV show Hacks. In an interview earlier this year, actress Hannah Einbinder (who plays young comedy writer Ava Daniels on the show) described AI creators as “losers,” “not artists,” and “nothing special.”
The show’s co-creators couldn’t agree more. In a wide-ranging conversation to The big interview before Hacks Paul W. Downs and Lucia Aniello, in the series finale on HBO Max, were resolute about the value of human creativity, and what we stand to lose when AI enters the picture.
If their work is on Hacks Is there any indication that Downs and Agnello (along with their third partner, Gene Statsky) would be wise to stick with the tough, tired, absolutely no-cuts approach they take to making entertainment. Across five excellent seasons – if you haven’t watched the show, I really recommend it –Hacks It was praised for its sharp writing, wit, and thoughtful portrayal of Deborah Vance and Ava’s complex and ever-evolving relationship. The show has also served as a mirror to the real-world entertainment industry, weaving plotlines that address everything from media consolidation to corporate censorship to artificial intelligence.
The show’s cast and creators have been in a media whirlwind as everything comes to a close. (If you keep seeing Hacks Trust me, you’re not alone.) When they knocked on WIRED’s door, we jumped at the opportunity to chat, and I was lucky enough to spend an hour with Downs and Aniello — both WIRED subscribers, much to my delight — earlier this month. Here is our conversation.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Katie Drummond: Lucia Aniello and Paul Downs, who I just learned are married, congratulations and welcome to The big interview.
Lucia Aniello: Thank you very much.
Paul W Downs: You should have been there. You should have been there.
Aniello: Oh, why didn’t we bring you? This is crazy. Next time. We will be renewing for 10 years in the same place though.
Where was the wedding?
Aniello: It was in Italy. It was in Tuscany. That’s all I’ll say.
Landing: Lucia was born in Italy, so she was closer to a lot of family.
Did you get married in what year?
Aniello: 2021.
So I have some time, like five more years…
Landing: You have time to find your look. Don’t stress.
The main priority for me in my life is improving my appearance. It’s very important for us at WIRED to look down.
Aniello: Fashion first, this is WIRED. That’s you guys, right?
We work at Condé Nast, and my boss is Anna Wintour. So “fashion first” is more of a priority for me than it was before. It’s like the “third fashion”, you know?
Landing: Third fashion. I like it.
My husband and I blew up a batch of Season 5 of Hacks This weekend. I’m excited to talk to you about the show, and I want to start by talking about women, which is a topic close to my heart, because I’m one of them. But I also run a magazine that has been run by men for years.
I am surrounded by men. They’re everywhere in my life. They’re everywhere in our coverage. And I love this show in particular, because it’s centered around this relationship between these two women, who are powerful in different ways in their own right, and they have this very complicated relationship and this huge generation gap.
