We love Malese Jow. She’s beautiful, confident and an incredibly talented actress. You probably recognise her from The Vampire Diaries or The Social Network, but Malese has been acting since she was just six years old. Her first job? Barney. Another notable big break? Bratz. We asked her how that led to other roles.
“Bratz was a great experience! I had actually gotten pretty far for the role of “Jade”, but that obviously didn’t work out. Our director Sean MacNamara apparently saw something in me and still wanted to make me a part of the film. It was a validating moment in my career that I was very grateful for.”
Since then, she’s gone on to be in a number of TV shows and films, and you can currently find her on not one, but two shows, The Flash and Filthy Sexy Teen$. We spoke to her about her role as Linda on The Flash, her embarrassing experiences on set and her love for Nashville (the show and the place!) She’s so busy with her projects, it’s a wonder that she gets much chill time so when she does, it’s no surprise that she likes to take it easy.
“On days off I usually love to have leisurely mornings with coffee and maybe a book. Spending time with the people I love. Something music related too like writing songs or going out to see live music.”
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Taylor Magazine: Tell us about how you got into acting! Has it always been a passion of yours?
Malese Jow: Yes, it’s definitely always been a passion of mine! From a very young age I knew that I loved performing and entertaining people. I’m lucky enough to have a very supportive family that allowed me to start cultivating my dream as a kid.
Taylor Magazine: Would you say your current role as Linda on The Flash is more adult than some of your previous characters? What should we be expecting from her?
Malese Jow: Linda is definitely more mature. It’s been refreshing finally playing my age — and a confident and fun character to boot! She is so endearing to me and a joy to portray. This season Linda is definitely thrust right into the middle of the meta human world that she didn’t even know existed before. She becomes a vital role in helping team Flash, so we get to see her step up to the plate and a little out of her comfort zone.
Taylor Magazine: Like Linda stepping out of her comfort zone, have you encountered any difficulties in getting to where you are?
Malese Jow: For sure, of course I’ve encountered difficulties. Every career comes with it’s own obstacles — especially if you’re starting from the bottom. But obviously it’s been nothing too devastating and I’m very blessed to have had a steadily progressing career thus far. My ultimate goal is longevity.
Taylor Magazine: What about your best moments?
Malese Jow: My best moments come from feeling like I’m expanding as an actress. Learning new things and pushing myself. I was actually able to really do that with all of the stunts we did on these last few episodes of The Flash. It was such a rush!
Taylor Magazine: For the UK viewers who are getting into The Flash, tell us why we should tune in.
Malese Jow: This show gives you everything you could possibly want! Action, suspense, comedy, romance…
Taylor Magazine: You’re working on Filthy Sexy Teen$, can you tell us about that?
Malese Jow: This web series was so fun for me! I got to try my hand at some comedy which is a bit outside of my comfort zone. I’ve been doing teen dramas for most of my career so far, so it was funny poking a little bit of fun at them. It’s good to laugh at yourself sometimes!
Taylor Magazine: What TV shows are you obsessed with at the moment?
Malese Jow: I’ve been a fan of Nashville since day one. Netflix series are also my jam.
Taylor Magazine: You enjoy dressing up, so if you could be anyone for a day who would it be?
Malese Jow: I was actually Dolly Parton for Halloween. She has such an iconic look that was fun to try to pull off. On top of that she’s a country music legend!
Taylor Magazine: Have you had any embarrassing experiences on set?
Malese Jow: All the time! I like to show up very prepared so any time I mess up it’s a little embarrassing for me. There was actually a scene in The Flash where I’m supposed to casually keep talking as I’m walking out the door while putting on a jacket. Well, the jacket kept getting caught and I couldn’t get it on! It was hilarious. How can someone not get a jacket on?! Leave it to me…
Taylor Magazine: We really love your style. Where do you get your inspiration from?
Malese Jow: Thanks! Inspiration is everywhere for me! I just try to stay true to myself. If it’s comfortable and I feel confident then I’m good to go.
Taylor Magazine: Do you have any hobbies?
Malese Jow: Many! I love singing and writing songs. I’m currently in the process of learning how to play guitar. I love cooking and being active as well.
Taylor Magazine: You like to travel so if you could go anywhere tomorrow where would it be?
Malese Jow: I would definitely want to go to Nashville. I haven’t been yet!
Taylor Magazine: You’re quite present on social media. How important is it for you to maintain contact with your fans and what’s your favourite platform?
Malese Jow: It’s very important. I love that I get to hear from them directly, no matter where they are in the world. It’s fascinating and a lot of the time I can’t even wrap my head around it! Instagram is my favourite right now. Pictures are worth a thousand words.
Taylor Magazine: Tell us something we wouldn’t know about you. It can be as random as you like!
Malese Jow: I’m obsessed with cooking shows!
Taylor Magazine: What should we be expecting from you in the next few months?
Malese Jow: You’ll be seeing me on multiple things over the next few months. The Flash, NCIS: LA, and the web series. And as always, cooking up things constantly so be on the look out!
Taylor Magazine: We’re focused on content that’s ‘Taylored For You’ so if you could pick any topic/theme/idea that you’d be interested in learning more about, what would it be?
Malese Jow: Definitely music, I would love to see more about anything music related!
She’s a star and so sweet too! We can’t wait for her to visit London so we can show her some of our wonderful cooking shows (we’re sure she’d love The Great British Bake Off!) Catch Malese on The Flash, on Sky1 (UK) or CW (US) every Tuesday at 8.00pm. And as she said, be on the look out for other exciting things she’ll be working on!
