Millennials have been watchingKathryn Hahnmost of their lives. For many, long before they were technically allowed to. Hahn has been a part of some of the most influential films (Stepbrothers, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, andHow to Lose A Guy in 10 Days, to name a few) that shaped a generation, and she did so while making them laugh till their sides hurt.
SinceStepbrothers, whether she meant to or not, Hahn has created a prototype of funny but chaotic women who seem to be in the middle of a sexual awakening, devil-may-care if it’s her first one. More recently, her characters are often middle-aged, with kids about 16-19, and getting used to a life of independence without their moms. Similarly, the women she portrays grapple with the all-too-common issue of finding her identity as an empty nester. Ultimately, she presents a caricature of many women’s lives as they transition from mom to empty nester and how that identity shift causes ripples in their family lives.
Hahn must know that there’s a niche that she has mastered because, so far, it’s immensely successful. Most recently, she has graced us with the limited seriesTiny Beautiful Things,which followsMrs. Fletcher, A Bad Moms Christmas(notice her child was the oldest of the bunch), andI Love Dick.Many actors move into parenting roles at a certain point, but in Kathryn Hahn’s case, she’s the only one to do it the way she does.
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Type B Baddie of Motherhood
While someone likeTiny Beautiful Thingsexecutive producerReese WitherspoonorSarah Jessica Parkerhas taken on more Type A roles, Kathryn Hahn might be the only one doing it for the Type B Baddies of Motherhood. This is not to throw shade at anyone, because we love them all. Still, it is to say that Hahn is giving us a different perspective of motherhood, one that television has historically underrepresented.
InTiny Beautiful Things,Hahn portrays the emotionally incongruous Clare Pierce. Clare is still processing her mother’s untimely death from years prior, her father’s abandonment, and her impending divorce, and she is trying to be a mother to a teenage girl. The real world has loaded this woman down with struggles that affect women every day, and from the insider’s perspective of the viewer, Clare is barely holding it together. Clare’s hair is a mess, she has random hookups outside of her slowly devolving marriage, and her push-and-pull relationship with her daughter is hot-and-cold at best.
Clare seems unbothered by the dishes or slight disarray in the house, and although it appears she’s a mess, she isn’t. She’s a woman, a mother, going through the most earth-shattering challenges any man or woman should go through, and she’s doing it gracefully. Clare is hanging by a thread on the outside but moving mountains on the inside. There are more important things to her than the outward projection of perfection because not everything is perfect.
As an actor, Hahn can traverse this line by balancing her intense grief and mentally stressful moments with comedy.Tiny Beautiful Thingsis a pinnacle example of this talent because, in the same breath that Hahn’s performance can make you cry for the experience she’s going through, you laugh at how she expresses it.
InBad MomsandA Bad Moms Christmas,Hahn gave us Carla Dunkler. The hands-off parent presented in contrast toMila Kunis’Amy Mitchell,Kristen Bell’sKiki, andChristina Applegate’sGwendolyn James. Carla is a wild, fun-loving, somewhat promiscuous mom who may seem unorthodox but loves her child. These films are comedies, so the audience has to suspend disbelief as they watch the polarities of parenthood presented onscreen. Carla is Type B, and the representation of the Type B Mom in comedy is often shown in kind, just like the more commonly portrayed Type A mom appears uptight, overzealous, and overworked.
Representing this Type B image of women is essential because this is how many moms and many women live, and that’s okay. In the past, television and media have taught us that women are supposed to be neat and orderly, manage a home, and function as a driver-cook-PTA president-sex kitten and several other full-time jobs while focusing all of their energy outside of themselves. Not only is this unfair, but it’s unsustainable. This niche character Hahn is so flawlessly navigating reminds us that you cannot pour from an empty cup, and more importantly, you shouldn’t be expected to.
On the one hand, we need more characters like this to help children of all ages remember that mothers are people too. They are flawed, just like everyone else, but superheroes in their own right. They have a life and identity outside their children and deserve the same forgiveness for their mistakes that we offer individuals who love us far less. Yet, on the other hand, it’s endlessly cool that Hahn is one of the few consistently reminding us of this invaluable truth, if not the only one.
Kathryn Hahn’s Characters Are All About Growth
In the early days of Hahn’s career, we saw her as the unconfident and lovesick friend Michelle inHow to Lose A Guy in 10 Daysor the slowly-empowered coworker Helen inAnchorman.Helen and Michelle are memorable but are also in the background, portraying a less confident sidebar to the more self-secure female lead. Over time, she grew into the insecure and judgmental Milly inRevolutionary Road,in a role so poignant and understated that her developing fan base could make out the bridge this role made into her current stance as emotionally complex but funny leads that will become her trademark.
Hahn is far from a one-trick pony as her fans have seen her traverse various roles that go from funny best friend to heartbroken mom; notwithstanding, it’s clear that she shines in the role that combines the two. We love her asAgatha Harknessand can’t wait to see the trajectory this move leads to. Still, for now, the power that her more real-world characters are conjuring may be more potent than any superhero because they’re authentic and derived from genuine human emotion and realism. Hat’s off to you, Kathryn Hahn!
