Every actor claims it’s their dream to appear on a certain show or work with specific actors, but how many can say that they literally dreamt about it? Well, Leslie Bibb for one.
**Spoiler alert for Hacks Season 5, Episode 7, “Montecito,” now streaming on HBO Max**
To step into the role of Monica, the wife of stand-up comedian Kelly Kilpatrick (Cherry Jones) in the newest episode of Hacks Season 5, Bibb had to find a very distinct approach to movement, style, and intonation. It’s the kind of free-flowing character that an actor can only dream of — and one that was only brought to her because of her dreams.
As for how it all happened, it’s a little bit of a whirlwind, Bibb explains. Sitting down with DECIDER via Zoom ahead of the episode, the actress shared that things came together quickly and all started with another crossover between HBO shows, as Hacks co-creator and star, Paul W. Downs, moderated the FYC panel for The White Lotus in 2025.
“Paul did a Q and A for White Lotus [last year], when you have to do those like Q and A things [for the Emmys]. I remember just being struck by how smart he was and funny, and then he came up to me afterwards and said some very nice things about my work. We just sort of started like DMing each other and talking, just friendly conversation,” she explained. “The truth is, my dreams are so nuts. I have really crazy, like the most vivid dreams, and I dreamt and Paul was in my dream. I DMed him and I was like, ‘You’re not going to believe this, you were in my dream last night.’ It was like a crazy dream, he was buying property. And then, hand to god, like two weeks later, I got a DM from him, he’s like, ‘I had a dream you did an episode of Hacks.’”
For what it’s worth, some theorize that the purchase of property or lands in a dream signifies a new beginning or starting another chapter, and we’re not dream experts but it feels a little on the nose. That aside, Bibb says she initially thought Downs was joking, but he doubled down and confirmed that he wasn’t playing around and would indeed be sending her a script for a potential guest role. Along with the script, Downs apparently shared that if she wanted it, she would be playing the wife of Jones’ character.
“I read it and I was like, ‘What are you talking about? I’m going to get to work with Cherry Jones and Hannah and Jean Smart, and it’s like every scene is with them, and we’re going to be like in this, like, cocoon of an episode of just us.’ It was like a no-brainer,” she says, adding that — given they shot in December — it felt like the perfect way to end what she describes as a “wild” but incredible year.
What she was not expecting, however, was to fall head over heels for Downs, Jen Statsky, and Lucia Aniello, who she says provided her with one of the most positive experiences she’s ever had on a set. It started with a cheeseboard at the fitting and carried through all the way to shooting and postproduction, where everyone was open to hearing her thoughts and ideas on the character and how she could make Monica her own.
“It was like it was like doing theater. It was like utopia. And I came home and I said, ‘Oh my, I didn’t realize how much my artistic soul needed that.’ The way they run their sets, it’s just extraordinary. You just feel like you could do anything. You never feel judged or intimidated, you just feel safe,” Bibb shares.
Knowing that everyone around her had the best of intentions and wanted her to feel safe and secure also gave her the best conditions to try and make memorable work, she explains. That gave her more time and energy to focus on how she could be and bring her best self to the table for this “gift” of a character.
“I just think Monica is like a yes. And she’s a great hostess and she wants everyone to feel comfortable and have fun. She’s just so in her body,” Bibb told DECIDER. “I, Leslie, am not that way, I’m very much in my head, Ss I love getting a chance to play a woman who’s so in her body and, and and doesn’t really edit herself and doesn’t really feel shame.”
And that shows in one particular moment when Monica opts to go skinny dipping in the hot tub, peeling off her dress in front of Kelly, Deborah (Smart) and Ava (Einbinder). It was something Bibb says she was feeling a little nervous about in the lead-up to the shoot, but completely comfortable with on the day of.
“That’s a testament to Paul and Lucia and Jen, because I have never really done that on camera. And I was very shy about it, and I’m like, ‘What am I doing?’ […I think that rootedness and how safe they make you feel there, you’re like, ‘Oh yeah, this isn’t gratuitous, this is the way this woman is in the world.’”
There was also the not-so-small part about how she got to deliver some of the episode’s funniest lines, including my own personal favorite, “let’s adopt another disabled dog.” Bibb says her own favorite line actually was tossed in by her and comes via her yoga teacher in New York, who gave her the idea to say “once a dancer, always a dancer” in response to Ava saying Monica has excellent posture.
But as for what element resonated the most with her about her guest-starring role and the show in general, it all has to do with the core of what Hacks is and has always been about: Ava and Deborah’s relationship. But having a front row seat to the Avorah kiss didn’t hurt either.
“I mean, we were getting to see them kiss for the first time, which was so funny. And then also, you know, as the crew to be in on it as well, for five years they’ve been together, so it was a really fun episode to have because I guess the audience really loves this aspect of their relationship, which is that they’re soulmates,” she says.
Bibb adds, “And me, Leslie, I am so interested — and I love my partner, Sam [Rockwell], he’s my person — but I’m also really interested in platonic soulmates. I worked with this actress, Aimee Lou Wood, and I was like, ‘These are two people I’ll have for the rest of my life.’ […] I love that sort of world that Hacks dances with, of these strong women, which I think are so important to see, and how ride or die they are for each other.”
The first seven episodes of Hacks Season 5 are now streaming on HBO Max. New episodes premiere on Thursdays at 6 p.m. PT.
If you’re new to HBO Max, you can sign up for as low as $10.99/month with ads, but an ad-free subscription will cost $18.49/month.
If you want to stream even more and save a few bucks a month while you’re at it, we recommend subscribing to one of the discounted Disney+ Bundles with Hulu and HBO Max. With ads, the bundle costs $19.99/month and without ads, $32.99/month.
