Hacks Star Megan Stalter Wishes She’d Seen Bisexual Characters on TV Growing Up: ‘I Would’ve Known Sooner’ (Exclusive)

Hacks star Megan Stalter is full of gratitude, hope and humor.

While LGBTQ+ representation on screen has skyrocketed since her childhood in Dayton, Ohio, she wishes she had more bisexual characters to look up to growing up.

“Could be [if I had]I would have known earlier that I loved women,” she tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue, adding, “We were so hungry for queer stories, and I think we have a lot more now than we did before.”

‘Hacks’ Star Megan Stalter Talks Viral ‘Hi, Gay’ Video, Portraying Queers in Comedy

Stalter, 33, who takes on the lead role of a bisexual musician in the film this month Cora Borahe had some big moments in the season finale of Max’s Hacks, which aired on Thursday, May 30, The actress plays Kayla, the clueless but confident assistant to Jimmy (Paul W. Downs). Kayla successfully sets up a meeting for Jimmy with a potential client, a former Disney child star she went to school with, played by guest star Kathryn Newton.

When Jimmy realized that the performer had been “a bully” towards Kayla, he left the meeting, angering Kayla, who believed that Jimmy thought she was a “f**k…”. In one rough moment, she shared her frustration with Jimmy’s behavior about what she put on the date and admitted that she often felt undervalued. The two later ironed things out on the plane before Kayla was able to escape to Mykonos. Jimmy finally admits he didn’t respect her accomplishments — including her role in getting Jack Danby (Luke Cook) out of the running for a late-night talk show hosted by Deborah’s (Jean Smart) gig that he eventually quit — and promotes her to manager.

“I feel like there were some emotional scenes between me and Paul that felt so natural,” she tells PEOPLE. “All these emotions are there. Not only do I know Kayla so well, but I also know Jimmy so well and I love him so much. This season feels so rich and it’s so exciting to be able to play these characters.”

Megan Stalter in the third season of ‘Hacks’.

max

Stalter really began to see herself – and her career – with the help of the Comedy Central series Wide city. “I like stories where sexuality is just part of the character, not the only thing in it,” she says of the show’s two leads.

For more on Megan Stalter, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday, or subscribe here.

In 2018, she created her own online “fake talk show”, Show Megan Stalterwhich earned her a following in the alt-comedy scene, a manager — and the opportunity for truly memorable roles.

“Because the internet is such an easy way to find comedians that you think are funny, I think you’re probably seeing so many different people, because you can just post a video of your standup or a video of you impersonating a character,” she says. “Anyone can post anything and everyone sees everything we post.”

Meg Stalter jokes about tanning as a teenager despite her fair skin: ‘We didn’t think about sunscreen’

Megan Stalter and Paul W. Downs in ‘Hacks.’

max

Besides that hacks, Stalter is also filming a Netflix series Too much, loosely based on the life of writer and director Lena Dunham. Working with Dunham is “the ultimate dream come true.” Girls the fan explains.

“It’s just the funniest show,” she says, adding, “Every day on set, we laughed so hard I cried.”

Stalter is also enthusiastic about Cora Bora published on June 14. In the queer rom-com, the actress plays Cora, a musician who comes home to win back her girlfriend.

“I would have liked to see a film like this when I was younger. You don’t know [often] sees the lead in the film as bisexual, not as super skinny and also in a bad mood all the time,” she says, adding, “It wasn’t exciting just because I was the lead. It was exciting, because it’s so special… Someone might see it and think, ‘Oh, that’s possible.’ You know, if you see it, you can be it.”

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All three seasons Hacks are available for streaming on Max.

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