The third episode of the fifth and final season of Hacks is now available in the UK, giving fans the chance to see The Summer I Turned Pretty and Mean Girls star Christopher Briney play Deborah Vance's (Jean Smart) young love interest.
In the episode, Briney stars as a pop star named Nico Hayes, who has been given a residency at the Palmetto Casino, where Deborah previously held her own residency.
After he makes a move and invites her on a date, she calls the paparazzi, unaware that the young musician is serious about his affections.
Speaking about the episode, which is available to stream on Sky and NOW in the UK, Briney told Entertainment Weekly how he got the role.
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Asked how the cameo came about, Briney replied: "It was sort of a whirlwind. I was doing a bunch of press for something else and I had a Zoom that came in super last minute, auditioned for it."
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He continued: "I came home 30 seconds before it started, threw everything off my desk, hopped on the Zoom, lied to them and told them I could sing. It was great.
"They were super amenable when they found out I couldn't sing. But I mean, to be a part of one of the best comedies of all time, it's pretty cool."
Quizzed on whether there was much "arm-twisting" to get him to appear and sing, and whether he badly wanted the role, Briney said: "Of course. What a pleasure to be in the room.
"Emmys aside, it's proven that it's one of the best shows of this generation, easily one of the best comedies in the past couple decades.
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"What they're doing is so cool and fresh and new and funny, and just to be a part of that, I was like, 'Yeah, I'll figure it out. I'll make it work. I'll take some lessons or something'."
Elsewhere in the interview, Briney opened up about the first impression of his character, saying he 'laughed out loud' when he first read the script.
"Immediately, I was like, This is what it's about, man. It's funny writing, it's really good," he said.
"And with Nico, I think it's pretty obvious that he has this sort of shell, but he also is just this kid who was forced to grow up a little too fast and a little too early and became independent before you should."
Hacks season 5 premieres on 17 April on Sky Atlantic and NOW in the UK.
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Harriet is a freelance news writer specialising in TV and movies at Digital Spy.
A horror enthusiast, she joined Digital Spy after working on her own horror website, reviewing films and focusing largely on feminism in the genre.
In her spare time, Harriet paints and produces mixed-media art. She graduated from the University of Kingston with a BA in fine art, where she specialised in painting. She also has an MA in journalism from Birkbeck University.
