Laraine Newman Recalls Moment Daughter Hannah Einbinder 'Tearfully Admitted' She Wanted to Be an Actor (Exclusive)

Laraine Newman recalls the moment her daughter Hannah Einbinder discovered she wanted to follow in her footsteps.

In an exclusive chat with PEOPLE at The Groundling’s 50th anniversary reunion on Oct. 19, the original Saturday night live cast member, 72, opened up about her daughter’s meteoric rise in comedy.

“I’m a real, proud mom,” she smiled before sharing the moment Hacks star, 29, announced her decision to pursue acting. “It was really late. I mean, she was an athlete and then she went to Chapman for broadcast journalism and then she switched to writing for TV. And the kids were like, you’re funny, why don’t you join an improv group? And I’m like at one point, crying, she admitted, like a dirty secret, ‘I want to be an actress’.”

Laraine Newman and her daughter Hannah Einbinder.

Stefanie Keenan/Getty

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While she admits her daughter was a little “late in terms of how early a lot of people start,” Newman noted how Einbinder had the strength to go far “right away.” Despite being a comedy legend herself, the actress told PEOPLE why she chose not to get too involved in her daughter’s career.

“As a parent you want to protect your child, but children see advice, unsolicited advice as criticism,” she explained. “And as for me, my experience is that when I try to do that, I pull a bloody stump. So it’s just, no.”

This isn’t the first time Newman has given her two cents on Einbinder performances. While speaking with PEOPLE in September, the comedian revealed that she was initially quite worried about her daughter staring at Hacksfor which she has since received three Primetime Emmy Award nominations and two Golden Globe Award nominations.

Hannah Einbinder in ‘Hacks’.

Jake Giles Netter/Max

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“It’s exciting! Everyone on that show is great, and Hannah rises to the occasion,” she said, looking at Einbinder on the screen. “She had no acting experience and as a mother I was worried, but I shouldn’t have been.”

She continued to rant: “Her instincts and delivery are amazing. She even cracks jokes, which is what got her the job.”

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Newman then recalled a small moment from Einbinder’s childhood that made her realize her daughter’s talent for writing.

“I remember doing homework with her, and she’d write these boring sentences, but then she’d come up with something brilliant. I’d think, ‘Why do you blame me?’ ”

She said, adding: “It’s exciting to see her shine.”

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Source: HIS Education