MeeVee Exclusive! Interview with The Office's Melora Hardin
Perhaps one of the most dysfunctional, and yet endearing romances on television, the relationship between Jan and Michael on The Office
remains an enigma to many fans, including us here at MeeVee. TV with MeeVee Managing Editor and TCA correspondant Marjorie Kase talked
with Melora Hardin who plays Jan at the TCA Press Tour this month,
where she reveals the who, what, where, and why Jan continues to submit
herself to Michael’s constant boorish behavior.
What do you think Jan sees in Michael?
Here’s a man
who adores her, loves her, wants her, is like a bull in a china shop
who comes barreling through all her defenses, and I think that’s
irresistible to her.
And I also think it’s appealing to her that
there’s somebody so wrong for her -- I think that just makes for a
chemical attraction. I think she is a really isolated woman.
What do you think made her that way?
I think, in general, she’s been a woman fighting in a corporate
world. She’s become very good at becoming a man in a man’s world. I think she’s lost a part of
herself because of that. [But] she’s a very sexual woman, and she’s a
very soft woman. That’s how I like to describe her.
What does Michael see in her?
Many men are intimidated by her. Michael is not. [Jan's] a hard woman on the outside, but she’s got a
soft, gooey center. That’s what he wants and that’s what he goes for.
What's next for them?
Well, they’re officially dating. I think it’s going to be a rocky road.
It’s going to be a little more of them being out of step with each
other, and how they deal with that now that they’re in an intimate
relationship, and actually making that public, saying, "We’re an item."
I thought Corporate was against interoffice romance...
Yeah, I think they are, unless you disclose it. So now it’s been
disclosed. Well, it’s going to be [addressed] anyway, any minute. You
guys don’t know that, but it will be.
Now we know.
Yeah, it will get disclosed. It has to. And we just go from there. I
think it’s going to be really exciting to see all of [Jan and
Michael's] imperfections surfacing.
Like when she finds out about the poster?
Oh, I think she will be furious -- but also, somewhere inside, secretly
flattered. She’ll never show that, but I would say that she likes it
that he wants her so bad.
"Jam" or "Karim"?
She’d probably lean towards liking Karen, because Karen is a little
harder, a little tougher. But I think that in her heart of hearts,
she’s much more drawn to Pam, because I think she feels that Pam and
Jim have the most potential of anyone in that office, to actually do
great things. Although, I think she also recognizes their limitations
and their passive natures.
Let's talk TV. What are some of your favorite shows?
Oh, my -- The Office.
You’re the only person who can say that where I actually believe you [laughter].
I actually mean that. I mean, I really don’t watch any TV. We
turned our TV off when my five-year-old was born. [But] I think House is pretty awesome. Hugh Laurie is pretty amazing. I think Alec Baldwin on 30 Rock is fantastic. So I guess I watch performances more than I watch shows, because I never can hang in with a show. I thought 24 was pretty amazing when it came on, and I still enjoy it sometimes.
TV with MeeVee is awarding 3 D.S. Bobbleheads to 3 A#1 Office Superfans!
Click here for more details
| Related Links and Stories: |
 Sign up five friends and earn iTunes credit. |
Comments