Note: This story contains spoilers from “Hacks” Season 5, Episode 2.
The childhood dreams of Hannah Einbinder’s Ava — as well as many “Hacks” fans — came true in Season 5, Episode 2, when pop star Jesse McCartney appeared in a cameo to sing his 2000s hit “Beautiful Soul” at Ava’s birthday party.
The appearance, which has remained under wraps until the episode’s debut, came together years after McCartney first DM’ed with Einbinder after watching “Hacks” Season 1 with his wife.
“We fell in love with the show, and then a buddy of mine hits me up like a week later, and he’s like, ‘Hey, have you seen “Hacks?”‘ and I’m like, ‘Yeah, it’s a great show,’ and he says, ‘No, no. Did you see her bedroom?’” McCartney went back and watched the season and sure enough, he had missed that inside Ava’s bedroom there was a poster of him “circa teen Tiger Beat era.”
McCartney then DM’ed Einbinder, whom he had never met, singing praises of the show and her performance, while also asking, “Was that me on your bedroom wall?”
“She wrote back very graciously: ‘Hey, I’m a huge fan. I grew up listening to your music, and when the producers asked me what would be on Ava’s bedroom wall, I told them it would be you anyway,’” McCartney recalled, noting that he told her if ever there was a time she should want him to come on the show to let her know. Five seasons later, Einbinder cashed in the favor, providing what McCartney calls a “full circle moment.”
McCartney’s cameo was pretty quick, with the pop star recalling he performed “Beautiful Soul” about half a dozen times, with plenty of improv happening in between and after the performance. “I was only on set for a couple hours — it was basically a cameo, but … it was great,” McCartney said. “I got to meet the whole cast and crew, and everyone was so friendly, and just an amazing group of actors that [are] on the top of their game.”
While McCartney clarified he didn’t know the context of the scene while shooting, noting “they’re very hush-hush about the material,” he did recall lots of crying from Einbinder.
“She’s like crying in almost every shot — and I’m not even sure that that was supposed to be in the script,” he said. “And then I saw her at the premiere, and she’s like, ‘It was really hard to find a take where I wasn’t crying in the scene’ … It was really sweet, and obviously getting to work with Jean and Hannah was such an honor.”
“It was completely real — I was sobbing every single take,” Einbinder told TheWrap, recalling she was “crying, screaming, throwing up” when she learned of his cameo. “It was so authentic, because I actually was a Jesse McCartney Stan. I had his posters on my wall from Tiger Beat magazine. I loved him so much, and still do. He’s such a cool guy. He’s really nice.”
McCartney’s performance comes at a time when y2k nostalgia is at an all-time high, with “Hannah Montana” marking its 20th anniversary while 2016 throwbacks enter the zeitgeist.
“What makes it even more nostalgic is the fact that you had to be there,” McCartney said, noting that while there were some chat sites like AOL, the immediate connection on social media “was not at our disposal the way it is now. You really had to be there and be in that moment to remember those things, so if you were there, I think it makes the nostalgia even more special.”
McCartney experienced a “nostalgia bomb” as he toured with the Jonas Brothers for six weeks just after his own tour last fall, but noted his biggest project right now is his 11-month-old son.
“I’m probably going to tour hopefully again next year, but at this point, I just want to sort of be home and not miss these super special moments that you’ll never get back,” he said.
“Hacks” drops new episodes Thursdays on HBO Max.
