Melora Hardin and Robert Downey Jr. Photo Credit: Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman.
Emmy-nominated actress Melora Hardin chatted about starring in the Broadway play “McNeal” at Lincoln Center’s Vivian Beaumont Theater opposite Oscar winner Robert Downey Jr.
‘McNeal’
“This show is so much fun. I am really enjoying it,” she admitted. “When I read the script, I was just so excited by how modern, fresh, and different it is.”
“The script consists of deep, riveting, and thought-provoking material. This story is so current, and AI is on everybody’s mind. I am really thrilled to be a part of it,” she added.
Working with Academy Award winner Robert Downey Jr.
“Robert Downey Jr. is just wonderful to work with,” she said. “He is just a lovely person, a wonderful actor, and we are having a great time. All the other actors are really great too. I am really enjoying the whole cast, and the director is amazing.”
Hardin on her character Francine
On playing her character, Francine, in the show, Hardin said, “She is very important to McNeal’s arc because she is the one person that can go toe to toe with him, and she can really call him out.”
“Francine is also certainly his equal. I think she is super intelligent, beautiful, and empathetic, even for somebody that has been hurt by him. I really love that about her,” she added.
On working with Andrea Martin, Hardin said, “Andrea is so much fun. She is a cooky character and she makes all of us laugh onstage and offstage.”
Lessons learned from this play
On the lessons learned from this screenplay, Hardin said, “Ultimately, the play is something that we all are going to be reflecting on.”
“It is what we are all thinking about, in terms of AI and how it is actually playing in all our lives already, and how it might broaden into so many aspects of our lives, as well as how art and AI can cross over,” she elaborated.
“It is provocative material in the regard that it will make you think and question, and it challenges your ideas,” she added.
Future plans
“By the time we are done with ‘McNeal,’ it will be around Thanksgiving,” she admitted. “My dad will be turning 95 years old so that is a big deal. We are going to be celebrating him, and then, we have the holidays. I am also focusing on ‘Storyboards by Melora Hardin’ and getting that all going.”
“Finally, I am wrapping up my documentary called ‘Hunter’s Thunder.’ That is a big focus of mine as well. It has been a seven-year process so I am excited to get that finished,” she added.
Hardin on her wallpaper line ‘Storyboards by Melora Hardin’
“Storyboards by Melora Hardin” is the culmination of Hardin’s life-long love of collage, interior design, and storytelling. “It has been going well. It is still such a new thing, and I am trying to figure out how to keep going forward,” Hardin said.
“It is exciting because it has gotten in a few other new places,” she noted. “We are moving forward. Slow and steady wins the race. It is very exciting.”
Stage of her life
On the title of the current chapter of her life, Hardin said, “The Jackson Four in New York City.”
“I have my two daughters, my husband, and me here,” she said. “The last time the four of us were here in New York was when I was doing ‘Chicago’ on Broadway.”
Success
Hardin defined the word success simply as “health and contentment in life,” as well as “being in a good, healthy state of mind.”
Message for her fans and supporters
For her fans, Hardin said, “Thank you for appreciating, loving, and enjoying what I do. It is just very sweet and I hope I can keep entertaining them and keep making them happy.”
Closing thoughts on ‘McNeal’
Hardin concluded about “McNeal,” “I hope this show inspires viewers to think about our humanity in the face of all this. Also, to really take care of one another and be mindful of our own fellow humans.”
For more information on Melora Hardin, follow her on Instagram, and visit her official website.