When the winner of the 2004 Golden Globe for Best Television Series: Musical or Comedy was announced, you could hear the collective question coming from millions of television viewers across America: Who are these people? A party-crashing band of Brits tottled up to the podium and The Office was introduced to a broad American audience. Its creator and star, Ricky Gervais, apologized for the surprise and said, with the dry wit that characterized the show, “I’m not from around these parts. I’m from a little place called England—we used to run the world before you.”
    But if the Yanks were intrigued after seeing the Gervais show at the Golden Globes, they would be in for a disappointment when they learned that the BBC had already filmed the final episode and was calling it quits after only two seasons. That, along with the fact that The Office’s Golden Globe was the first time a non-American series had even been nominated for the award, didn’t go unnoticed by NBC. The network immediately set about developing an American version of the show.
    By the following spring, Americans had an Office of their own set within a fictitious paper supply company called Dunder Mifflin Inc. After two seasons on the air, the series had received three Writers Guild nominations, three Television Critics’ Association Awards, and five Emmy’s, including Outstanding Comedy Series. Earlier this year, Steve Carell took home the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Comedy Series, the same prize Gervais was awarded two years earlier.
    The Office is a sort of mockumentary following the day-to-day work lives of a handful of Dunder Mifflin employees. Michael Scott, played by Carell, is a yes man, a socially cringeable office manager whose goal in life is to be the most liked person in the building. Michael’s antics and blunders form the central plot of the series. Sales associate Jim Halpert (John Krasinski) and receptionist Pam Beesly (Jenna Fischer) have a complicated crush on each other because Pam is engaged to Roy (David Denman), a warehouse worker.
    Now in its third season, the American version has moved beyond the tenure of the Brits with plots expanding to include other Dunder Mifflin characters. Jan Levinson (Melora Hardin) spent the night with an office subordinate last season. Angela Martin (Angela Kinsey), the devoutly religious and highly moral head of accounting, secretly lusts after her co-worker, Dwight (Rainn Wilson). And don’t forget about Kelly Kapoor (Mindy Kaling), a customer service representative and sort of social loose cannon. These are the new ladies of The Office.

Melora Hardin
With thirty years of television and film credits to her name before finding herself in the boss’ chair at The Office as Jan Levinson, Melora Hardin could be considered the female George Clooney—maybe even the James Brown of showbiz. She has guest starred in nearly every major television series since the late 1970s; Love Boat, Little House on the Prairie, Different Strokes, Magnum P.I., Quincy M.D., Friends—and the list goes on. She’ll tell you herself that she believes she was put on this earth to perform.
    In person, she is one hundred percent present in the moment of our conversation, very wise and deeply passionate about her world. She is also every bit as complicated as the character—she portrays.

RISEN Magazine: What makes the American version of The Office a success?
Melora Hardin: Well, first of all, I think the writers have done an amazing job of [giving] the show an American sensibility and injecting American humor into it. Whereas Ricky Gervais was much more dry and sarcastic, Steve is like a quintessential boy next door, petulant…bratty. If you look at sitcoms today, they’re basically populated with men who are bratty boys and ball-buster women. I fill that role and Steve fulfills the petulant child role.
RM: Is Jan similar to you?
MH: She’s very different from me. I think I’m a lot more nurturing and a lot softer than Jan. I’m a lot more [comfortable] in my sexuality than she is. She tries to be removed from it even though there’s this furnace down there burning. She wants to be this corporate person who isn’t moved by desire and all that. So I think we’re very, very different.
RM: In the last