Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with The Bold Type’s Melora Hardin

Melora Hardin has traversed her four-plus-decade career with grace and integrity, allowing her work to speak for itself. From performing on Broadway to starring in The Office to the work she’s done behind the camera, Melora is an industry legend whose talent knows no bounds.

Currently, she’s starring as Jacqueline Carlyle in Freeform’s female-driven series The Bold Type. As the head of Scarlet magazine, Jacqueline has always expected her team to have adventures, to make mistakes and then make amends, to take a leap, and to make a splash.

We caught up with Melora to chat about Season 4 of The Bold Type and what it was like making her television directorial debut.

PC: You’ve built this illustrious career in so many different mediums and had tremendous success. When you look back, is there a particular moment that stands out to you?
Melora: There are a lot of them. I have lots of moments. For sure, being on Broadway, dancing, singing, and acting three times a week was exciting. Working with Gene Hackman and Clint Eastwood in Absolute Power was incredible. Being at the Hollywood Bowl and doing Les Mis and singing in front of sixty thousand people over the course of three nights, singing about heaven, dreams, and God and looking up at the stars was pretty amazing.

Of course, The Office is a highlight because it opened up lots and lots of doors and opportunities. I went from being someone that was recognizable to someone who you knew by name. Then I would say Transparent was a pretty great highlight too because playing Tammy was so fun. She’s so different than any character I’ve played up to that point. Getting nominated for an Emmy was really exciting. Yeah, there are so many things.

PC: You’re currently starring in The Bold Type, which is now in its fourth season. What do you think is resonating the most with viewers?
Melora: I think it’s the fact that it’s a realistic show that’s right on the wave of modern conversations and what’s going on, what’s current, and what’s real. But it’s also idealistic. It’s nice to see everybody handle things in the way that you would wish they would and having the conversations that everybody wishes they could have and then also having bosses like Jacqueline who they wish they had.

PC: In Season 3 and Season 4, we see a lot of vulnerability in Jacqueline as the media landscape transforms from print to digital and her relationship with Ian, which you’ve advocated for. How involved are you in shaping your character’s storyline? What’s that collaboration like with the writers?
Melora: We collaborate a lot, and I pitch a lot of things. That particular storyline with Ian and Jacqueline was something that I’ve been advocating for a couple of years because I like the idea of seeing a long-term marriage where two people do love each other but they hit a hard patch. They hit a rocky road and we watch them deal with that with love, kindness, and communication.

I feel like it’s really important that we see that because a lot of times what you do see is women of power really succeeding and hitting home runs in the workplace, but then when they’re in their love lives, they’re falling apart left and right. I think for women it often feels like it’s an either-or situation. You either have your love life together or your family life together or you have a great career. You can’t have both. I don’t see it that way. I don’t see that that’s realistic. Most of the women I know, including myself, are balancing many balls in the air—and doing it quite gracefully!

PC: Love that answer. What is it like working with your real-life husband?
Melora: It’s so great. It’s a lot of fun. He’s a wonderful actor and a great person. We know each other and support each other and love each other a lot. We have a good time doing it. It worked out perfectly because at the beginning of the show they were like, “We’re going to cast your husband. You guys have been married twenty years. He’s going to be English, and he’s a photojournalist.” I was like, “Well, that’s funny! I’ve been married to my husband for twenty years. He’s English, and he’s a wonderful actor who can easily play a photojournalist.” [laughs]

PC: You made your television directorial debut with the episode titled “Snow Day.” Congratulations! How did that come to fruition?
Melora: I’ve been directing for quite a few years. I’ve made a feature and a short film. I knew that that was something that I wanted to do. So when they offered me the part of Jacqueline, I basically made it known that that was something that was really on my radar. They were like, “Great!” And this was the one that I got handed. I was very excited that we managed to make it happen.

PC: How beneficial was it for you having that rapport and history with the cast and knowing how they like to be directed?
Melora: It’s always good to work with people that you know and you have relationships with. There’s trust already built in. I know the sets, and I know the crew. I really did feel like because of that and because of the good will that we all built, there was a lot of support. Everyone wanted me to succeed and was very, very loving. I think they were happy to have me in the director’s chair.

PC: Did anything surprise you about the experience?
Melora: I think mostly how wonderful it was to do something with network television, and you feel all that support. Everything I’ve done up until then as a director was independent. I’ve worn many, many hats at one time. It was luxurious to have all that support behind me between the network, the studio, the cast, the crew, the department heads, the execs, and the writers. Just to feel that you come in with an idea, you have a vision for something, and everyone’s trying to come together to make that vision come true. I love that.

PC: Having played Jacqueline now for four seasons, which of her relationships has been your favorite to explore?
Melora: I’ve had a lot of fun with Ian. Then Jacqueline’s relationship with Miles. I enjoyed living in some of her history and also the two ladies that played her best friends. Jacqueline and Sutton don’t get a lot of screen time together, but I really enjoy their scenes. I really like the relationship that they’re building with Oliver and Jacqueline a lot too.

PC: Is there anything that you can say about the rest of Jacqueline’s storyline for Season 4?
Melora: You’ll see her working through her relationship and learning how to balance the two passions in her life: her family and her work. These are the two things that she loves very much. How will she keep them both vital and thriving?

PC: You’re also directing a documentary feature right now. Is there anything you can tell us about that project?
Melora: It’s something that I’ve been working on for four years. I’m really excited about it. It’s a story about real-life serendipity and women holding women up and healing. It’s about female friendship and what it takes to transform trauma. I’m really proud of that and very excited to put that out into the world.

To keep up with Melora, follow her on Twitter and Instagram. Catch new episodes of The Bold Type every Thursday at 10/9c on Freeform.

Photo Credit: Freeform