Molly Bernard – Younger

By: Jamie Steinberg

Q) What are the recent projects that you are working on?

A) Aside from “Younger,” I shot a film directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Tom Hanks called Sully and it’s about the pilot who landed in the Hudson River a few years ago.

Q) Where do we pick up this season on “Younger” with your character Lauren?

A) Lauren finds herself in a romance with Maggie (Debi Mazar). We see a lot more of Lauren this year, her personal life and her family. We even meet the fashion designers Hector & Dorff that she works for. She continues to creatively solve everyone’s problems. You get to see a vulnerable side to Lauren, which is very, very exciting for me as an actress. She’s just a much fuller character this year.

Q) What do you think it is about Maggie that draws her to Lauren?

A) I think Maggie is very, very brave. She says exactly what she wants and means and is very direct. Lauren, I think, needs someone like that – grounded, direct, fierce and strong. Lauren is such a strong person herself so it seems only natural that she would be attracted to this gorgeous woman in her 40’s who is free, liberated and smart. There is a great scene this season where Lauren and Maggie really talk through what it might be like to be in a relationship. You kind of see that they are each other’s match in a way that they can meet each other head on.

Q) What kind of fan response have you gotten about Lauren from the LGBTQ community?

A) Oh my goodness! There is a sweet young man who is on Instagram who said, “You’re my new gay icon! I love you!” Honestly, a lot of people say, “You’re so great!” The funny thing is I never had fans before so this is all so exciting and really brand spanking new to me. That comment by that young man in particular though made me feel – I’m an actress who wants to use my VIP access that actors get (just by the nature of the business) for good and not evil. So, I feel very lucky that I get to play a kind of revolutionary character for TV because Lauren is pretty fluid. She’s not gay. She’s not straight. She’s mostly gay, but also sometimes straight. To get to play someone who kind of operates by her own rules is really exciting and that people are responding to that is so great. So, when I saw that comment it made my day! It made me think, “I’m doing something right! This is great!”

Q) What have you added to Lauren that wasn’t originally scripted for you?

A) So much! I had to. I have said this in a couple of interviews, but originally Lauren was a six-line part in the pilot. Then, I had to re-audition for the part that became Lauren. It was in the audition that I realized I had to make her my own. It was the only way I was going to book this part because she was such a bold character that I had to go for it no-holds-bard with all of my spirit and training and just nail it. So, when I was on set (because I had done so much of that work to get this part) I knew her a little bit more than I think the average actress does because I auditioned with five scenes and those were the first five scenes that I shot. So, it was really exciting on set. I sometimes add a lot of banter and in the editing room they always end up keeping it, which is funny to me because when I am in Lauren mode some stuff just falls out of my mouth. It’s surprising what makes it in because in TV it’s not always a great idea to add your own lines. In the rare occasion my mouth keeps moving after the scene is over, I’m always really excited when that stuff ends up in the episode.

Q) The cast has such great chemistry. Was there an immediate connection or did you spend some time to bond?

A) Oh man! It was kind of instant. It all started in that scene in the pilot where I talk about “the bush.” Hilary [Duff] and Sutton [Foster] are two of the nicest people I’ve ever met and as women they are both so strong, kind and compassionate. So, on set it is very, very easy to connect. Hilary and I hang out outside of work and Sutton and I have dogs who are completely in love with each other. So, we bring our dogs to set. Sutton and I have this funny dog mom bond and Hilary also brings her dog to set. We all connect on different levels because I have a theatre background so Sutton and I can connect on the theatre background and Hilary and I are the same age so we can all kind of meet each other in the middle. It never feels like there is an age gap at all. We just feel like three friends who love and support each other. Every time I have to shoot a difficult scene (like if I’m naked or the scene sometimes are hard to crack for me because I’m still learning the TV medium), Hilary and Sutton are always the first to say, “Don’t be hard on yourself. You killed it!” So, there is so much support and I think it shows. I also think Sutton and Hilary have an amazing chemistry and I love watching. I just rewatched Season 1 and they are so sweet together. You totally buy it. You see why they are friends.

Q) What scene are you most looking forward to seeing the fans react to?

A) There is a very hot scene with Debi Mazar and I. I’ll leave it at that!

Q) What do you think it is about “Younger” that has made it a quick fan favorite show?

A) That’s a really great question! I think it is like “Sex In The City.” The parallels are there, but the spirit of the show is different than “Sex In The City. I’m not Darren [Star] so I don’t know, but “Sex In The City” was like figuring out men and your relationship to men – whether we need men or don’t need men – and those four women’s journey. There was such a journey in finding love, partnership and ultimately self love. Younger” is about relationships, friendships and women bonding with women, which in a way the show doesn’t have a lot to do with men. It’s about keeping up this lie so you can see the show is different. We’re always rooting for Liza. And we’re rooting for everyone, which I think is rare! There is not a villain on the show. Even Diana (Miriam Shor), we love her. We wonder why she is so uptight and when we see her relax as an audience we think, “This is great!” The characters are also so clear so you end up wanting to get to know them better. Great episodic TV ends up being weirdly less about the plot and more about the people. You end up tuning in each week for the characters.