{"blocks":[{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"IT’S hard out there for a pimp — espe cially if you’re woman. Just ask Jane Adams."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Adams, 44, may in fact be the first actress to play a pimp to a sympathetic, well-endowed male hooker on a scripted TV comedy that premieres on HBO tomorrow at 10 p.m."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Set in the recession-plagued suburbs of Detroit, “Hung” centers on high-school basketball coach Ray Drecker (Thomas Jane), who is on a perpetual losing streak. After his wife (Anne Heche) leaves him for a wealthy cosmetic dermatologist, he’s forced to move back to his parents’ house."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"As if things weren’t bleak enough, an electrical fire ruins his uninsured, already run-down home. He can’t afford the necessary repairs and moves into a small tent on his property. He then loses his teenage twins, who move back to live with their mother."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"That’s where would-be-poet Tanya Skagle (Adams) comes in. She begins working as Ray’s “business partner” after he starts moonlighting as an escort in an effort to escape overwhelming financial difficulties."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"If Adams appears familiar, it’s probably because you’ve seen her before: as Jim Carrey’s friend in “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” as Niles’ girlfriend on “Frasier” and, more recently, as Eleanor in “The Wackness,” with Ben Kingsley."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"The Post caught up with the affable and very funny Adams while she was finishing up filming “Hung” in Birmingham, Mich."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Q: Did you have any reservations about taking this role?"}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"A: Not at all. To me, none of this seems particularly shocking, so this is just another day at the office. I don’t think the show’s concept is necessarily pushing the envelope. So what if someone wants to hire someone for sex? I’m nonjudgmental and don’t really care what people do."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Q: Do you think men and women will respond differently to “Hung”?"}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"A: I get the sense that women may be relieved to have the topic of sex for hire open for discussion. I have often quipped with Thomas Jane that the ladies of “The View” will have a field day with us during their “hot topic” segment."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Q: So, does size matter?"}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"A: Never really thought much about it. However, I want to assure you that no special wide-angle lens was used when filming the show nor was any special equipment brought in during the filming of “Hung.”"}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Q: How did you prepare for the role of Tanya Skagle?"}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"A: Since Tanya is primarily a businesswomen, I find the business angle more interesting than the sex. For example, how much will this make people think about their own position in business? And when it comes to business, what is your role: Are you the pimp, or are you the whore?"}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Q: Do you think the average American will be able to relate to “Hung”?"}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"A: Absolutely. The show is more about the tough times in which we live and how to overcome overwhelming challenges. I think this theme will resonate with the American public, especially during these hard times. I see Tanya more as an entrepreneur anyway, and imagine her coming up with this idea while sitting at home one night watching Suze Orman. Then she has that lightbulb moment, realizing that this could be the start of a change of fortune for her."}}]}

Jill Jacobs

NypJillJacobs@RoundtableIO

ALL ‘HUNG’ UP