After six years and seven seasons, Younger is sadly coming to an end. We aren’t ready, but we have to say goodbye to our favorite characters, including Lauren Heller, the bold, scrappy PR guru, who captured the audience’s hearts with her flair for fashion and affectionate nickname for her friends. Younger’s Molly Bernard, who plays Lauren, gave us a preview of the seventh and final season and looked back at her time on the show.
Although Liza’s (Sutton Foster) grift of masquerading as a 26-year-old ended long ago, viewers are still invested in the love triangles, Empirical Publishing drama and Kelsey (Hilary Duff) and Lauren’s friendship. Lauren is the ultimate best friend. She’s the person who gasses her friends up when they’re nervous or down on themselves. She finishes season six of single and thriving, but will that change in the final season?
We don’t know, but the savvy PR woman and skilled party planner is staring down a new career challenge and turning 30, while Liza contemplates Charles’s (Peter Hermann) gasp-worthy proposal at Diana’s wedding and Kelsey decides her next move in publishing.
The final season promises plenty of drama, in both book and love realms. Luckily, the fans don’t have to wait any longer: The first four episodes of Younger are available to stream right now (hurry!) on Paramount+ and then new episodes will air every Thursday.
To start the final season off in style, Bernard talked about everything from Lauren’s best fashion moments to her real-life friendship with Duff.
On Lauren’s new client
I think Lauren kind of gets a new client. I don’t want to give away too many spoilers, but her client is Kelsey at Empirical. They get in and out of and in a bunch of trouble. It’s a rollercoaster ride this year for those goals.
On how Lauren’s style has changed since season 1
Honestly, I think Lauren’s style has evolved so much. I feel like she’s chicer now than she’s ever been. I think it’s been Jackie Dematrio, our costume designer. I think that’s been her way of storytelling Lauren’s maturation and how she’s really evolved as a fashion gal. This season it’s played out in blazers and pantsuits and a more tailored look. In previous seasons, it’s been knits and mini-dresses. Lauren went through a feather phase, which I think is apropos, because she’s like a little bird. She’s always got her feathers on.
On how Lauren’s 30th birthday bash mirrors her own
I have to be honest: I kind of think—maybe—that the writers took from my own life. I had kind of a raucous 20s. I don’t mean raucous like “this is a fun, raucous party.” My twenties were a little rough. It took me a while to get it together, just to feel like I could do it. I had a lot of self-doubt—then suddenly, I was 29. I was about to turn 30 and I was so excited. I threw myself a huge 30th birthday party. I rented out a bar from 7 p.m. to 3 a.m. I threw a rager. My tagline in the years following my 30th birthday, I was like “Oh I threw myself a wedding.” Maybe that’s where I meet Lauren or Lauren meets me, but the fact that Lauren also throws herself this blowout. It was so perfect. I don’t know if my party informed the way that they did Lauren’s or Lauren’s existence in my body for the past few years affected how I threw my birthday party. There’s some symbiosis there. I recommend it for everyone. I loved that I threw myself a big party to celebrate that I felt really great for the first time. I always felt like I needed to be in my 30s.
On filming during the pandemic
It was wild to shoot during COVID. It taught all of us that human beings are extremely resilient and we adapted week two. We were like “OK! We’ve going to be in masks, we’re going to be in face shields and we’re going to get COVID tested up to six times a week. We’re going to do this safely. We’re going to do it together with a lot of cooperation and patience. It was really difficult. I had to wrap my head around shooting during a pandemic.
On if Lauren’s going to find love before the show ends
What I can say is that there is an amazing possible rekindling with an old flame that I think fans are really going to appreciate. It took all of us by surprise and it’s very fun.
On what she thinks of Younger‘s series finale
I think the way the writers have chosen to end this series is both very elegant and somehow inevitable for the show. I think it’s a really beautiful ending. I don’t think it could have ended any other way. It’s really good. People are going to love it. I can’t wait for you to watch it. You’re going to freak out.
On her IRL friendship with co-star Hilary Duff
She really has become one of the best friends I’ve ever had in my life. I think we were apart for three weeks before I came to LA recently. Every day we would send each other pathetic little text messages like “I miss you.” She’s the coolest. I love her family and her. I’m so grateful this show introduced me to her and so many amazing people in my life that will stay with me forever.
We get that a lot. We all just love each other. We’ve become a little tight-knit family. We’ve seen marriages, engagements and children. I mean Luca was two years old when Hillary started Younger. He’s nine now. I just went to his ninth birthday. It’s wild.
On what she learned from Lauren Heller
Having the opportunity to play a young woman who unconditionally loves herself and does so boldly and almost brazenly has been an opportunity of a lifetime. I have learned how important it is to foster real love for yourself and to be confident. She’s just so confident. I don’t think there’s a world where Lauren is not confident, actually. She projects such light and such ability and there’s no problem that is too big for her. I think that’s really an exciting thing to take away. Also, I love that she was one of the first pansexual characters on television and that’s always been a sub-plot of hers. It’s just an accepted fact. She has two legs, two arms and she’s pan. That kind of representation in terms of normalizing queer people is so important. I love her parents, that they just love and respect whatever she wants. She’s a great character, and I’m so happy she’s had a life.
On what of Lauren’s she took home from set
I’ve taken home quite a few things over the years. She wore these crazy yellow shoes that I’ve since worn to Younger premieres and red carpet events. I’ve taken home a sensible blazer, a couple of really fun blouses and actually, this season, I took home a bra. I got home and my partner was like “Oh, you don’t own any bras?” and I was like “Not like this.”
The first four episode of Younger are available to stream on Paramount+ right now, then subsequent episodes will premiere every Thursday exclusively on the app.
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