QQ. What are some of the recent projects that you've been working on?
A. We just wrapped our third season of "The Office" on Wednesday and I have a FOX movie coming out in August called The Comebacks. I am locking picture on my directorial debut; a feature film that has the working title of You. So, I'm in the post-production process with my film and I'm auditioning for other things hoping that something interesting will pop up. I certainly have enough work to do with my film so that's good!
Q. Do you know when the film will be finished and be able to be submitted to festivals?
A. Probably in June we'll be done, maybe May or June, and then we'll start submitting it around. Hopefully we'll find a little home for it.
Q. Where did the inspiration for the film come from?
A. My husband wrote it and it's a love story, love and loss, it's about what if you lost your soul mate. It's a really wonderful script, when I read it I thought I would love to direct this. We gathered up the family, my husband stars in it, I'm in it, my mother is in it, my father's in it and our kids are in it. Also some of our friends are in it so it was a pretty wonderful, intimate experience.
Q. What can you tell us about the premise for the film The Comebacks and about your character?
A. The Comebacks is a very funny movie about the worst coach in history. David Koechner plays the worst coach in history who is responsible for sports disasters that have been happening for the last ten years. I am the ultra supportive wife who ultimately gets fed up with his lack of attention to his family. She leaves him for a much younger man and then we reconcile in the end.
Q. What made you want to be a part of this project?
A. It's very funny, it's a fun character, and Tom Brady wrote and directed it. He's the same guy who directed The Hot Chick, which I also starred in with Rachel McAdams, so Tom called me and he kind of wrote this part for me. He asked if I would do it and I said, "Well, if it means working with you, I'd love to!" So, it worked out really well. David Koechner plays Packer on "The Office" so that was a nice little coincidence.
Q. Do you have a really memorable moment from filming?
A. We were filming the finale scene of the movie where I comeback and we were way out on this huge football field and we were way out in Fullerton I think. I come from way, way back up in the bleachers, way up high, and then I run down the stairs and I kind of fall and do a flip over the banister right into David's arms in slow motion. That was pretty fun to film because I was up in the bleachers with a whole bunch of extras who were really big fans of "The Office." So, they were all asking me questions and wanting to talk to me and they were all really cute. Then doing part of the stunt and watching my stunt double do the rest of the stunt; all that physical comedy is really fun to do. Landing, running through the crowed and then bashing out. I think I had to elbow some huge football player, it was fun, it was fun, physical stuff.
Q. You have such incredible comedic timing. Is that something that comes naturally for you?
A. I will credit my mother for my comic abilities, she is a very funny woman, and I have observed her and she kind of just has good comic timing in life. I guess it's in my DNA.
Q. What is it about your role as Jan on "The Office" that really has enticed you to keep coming back to the show?
A. Well, they made me a regular on the show in the second season so they have me for the next five years and I just love her! I just think she's got a lot of depth and dimension. I always describe her as a woman who has a hard exterior and a soft, gooey center. I love that her flaws are showing through. She's got so much going on at all times, there are a least three things to play in every moment with her, so she's a lot of meat to bite in to for an actress. I have to say, I'm madly in love with Jan Levinson, so I guess it's a good marriage. You're supposed to be in love with your character.
Q. You've done acting and singing, and now directing with your film You. What made you want to step into the director's role?
A. I really got the idea to direct from this little movie I did many, many years ago called How I Saved The President; it's a little kids movie. The producer of that movie came up to me and said, "You should really direct!" He said, "You have a really interesting combination of the iron fist and the velvet glove. I think you would make an excellent director." He kind of put the idea in my head because I had been acting professionally since I was six but at that point I hadn't really thought about directing. My brother was sort of the director in the family, he went to film school and was pursuing that for a while and now he's the CEO of the search engine Flock. So, I think at that time I hadn't really thought of it and I guess he put the idea in my brain. I started pondering that idea and it was many, many years ago that I did that film, at least fifteen years ago. I read a lot of my husband's scripts and when I read this one it just seemed so right for me for my first directing effort. So, now it's a done deal, I am definitely hooked to the idea of directing and I plan on directing more. It was really a great experience and it has been very fulfilling.
Q. Where can fans go to find out more about what's going on with you and your upcoming projects?
A. I have a Myspace page and we're going to have a website for the movie as soon as we get a title. I'll have a link on my Myspace page and on my website, http://www.melora.com, to the movie website. I'll put things up on my Myspace and on my website about what I'm doing and I'll probably be doing a singing gig some time here within the year. I'm going to be doing all of my original songs and some of my covers and I'll probably do one night here and probably a few engagements in New York.
Q. What would you like to say to your fans and supporters?
A. Thank you so much! It's just so exciting to me to have people that are out there watching, enjoying, supporting, laughing and being moved. That's the whole reason that I do what I do. It's pretty neat when what you're doing is translating to a larger audience and I am very excited about that. I'm very thankful that I have people that admire my work and it's really nice.
