The Bear star opens up to L'OFFICIEL about taking creative control, her NYC-coded style, and fronting Theory&rsquo;s Spring 2026 campaign.

She may have been born in Los Angeles, but Molly Gordon has always felt like a New Yorker at heart&mdash;or, at least, dressed like one. The Bear star, 30, has identified with the city&rsquo;s fashion attitude ever since she spent her post-high school years in the concrete jungle, working as a waitress while auditioning for roles. &ldquo;New York just makes you want to show up and strut and have fun with your outfits,&rdquo; she tells L&rsquo;OFFICIEL. &ldquo;You can kind of wear anything. I feel like there's more judgment in L.A., but in New York, you can totally do your own thing.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Ahead of New York Fashion Week&mdash;the ultimate celebration of self-expression&mdash;Gordon is leaning into metropolitan ease for Theory&rsquo;s Spring 2026 campaign, &ldquo;Made by NYC. Effortless by Design.&rdquo; For the actor, modeling the collection is a full-circle moment. &ldquo;When I was 18 and first moved to New York, I remember walking by the Theory store in the Meatpacking District and it being aspirational yet attainable,&rdquo; she says. &ldquo;I wanted to work towards being able to dress like that, and it felt like if I did work really hard, then I could have a really incredible cashmere sweater and suit from there.&rdquo;
Now that her image is on display in that very store, Gordon isn&rsquo;t taking it for granted. &ldquo;The makeup artist from the campaign shoot texted me a photo of myself, and I was like, This is so cool,&rdquo; she says. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve never had that before. And I&rsquo;m not going to act like I have.&rdquo; The relaxed silhouettes, soft tailoring, and innovative fabrics of the collection resonated with Gordon as soon as she tried them on. And the ethos of the campaign&mdash;effortless dressing&mdash;particularly speaks to her as she prepares to direct and star in A24&rsquo;s upcoming high school reunion&ndash;set comedy, Peaked. &ldquo;I've been trying to dress up a little bit more, but still in an effortless way,&rdquo; says Gordon, who also co-wrote the film's script. &ldquo;This job is hard, and the way you present yourself&hellip;it's about being good on the inside, showing up, and being kind to everyone. But also, for me, doing small things like washing my hair or wearing a blazer can really change my confidence.&rdquo;
Although she&rsquo;ll be missing NYFW to work on the project in New Jersey, as the shows unfold, she&rsquo;ll be across the Hudson River in spirit. &ldquo;I just love watching people in heels, walking on cobblestones like, I will turn a look if it kills me,&rdquo; she says. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s just another way that New York doesn't make sense. We're all on top of each other. It's ridiculously expensive. Living here is so hard&mdash;and you have to work so hard, and be creative, and juggle a lot of things at the same time. So everyone showing up in this very honest way, that kind of creativity is really inspiring to me. And I think fashion week is a really lovely expression of that.&rdquo;
Ahead, Gordon reflects on the sexiness of a power suit, living in scrubs on The Bear, and her dreams of longevity in Hollywood.

Molly Gordon. Photography courtesy of Theory.

L&rsquo;O: Having spent so much time in both places, at this point, do you feel like your style is more L.A. or New York?
Molly Gordon: Well, as I'm wearing completely all black, I would say that I feel more inspired by New York. There is incredible culture in L.A., but you're just so isolated&mdash;whereas in New York, you're around everyone. Everyone takes the train, everyone's a part of it, and you just get to be inspired in such a different way. L.A. doesn't allow for that; sometimes they try to have public transportation and things for community building, but it's tough because people there just don't want to commute in that way. L&rsquo;O: To you, who is the ultimate New York style icon?
MG: Elaine Stritch, because I don't like wearing pants and I love a big shirt. Big shirt, no pants is my dream. L&rsquo;O: How has your style evolved throughout your career? Is there anything you gravitate towards now that you wouldn't have touched in the past?
MG: I think that working with [stylist] Jared Ellner has helped me dress more like myself. When you first start as an actor, doing press and stuff, you're kind of given the dresses that the actresses wear. And he was the first person to be like, You can wear whatever you want to wear. As I've grown, it's been fun to try out different ways of expressing myself. Sometimes I want to look sexy. Sometimes I want to look like an Italian woman in a D&ocirc;en nightgown. You don't have to pick one lane. I also think my friends are really inspiring&mdash;they're my style icons.&nbsp;

L&rsquo;O: If you could swap closets with anyone in Hollywood right now, who would it be?
MG: That&rsquo;s hard. But I feel like Sofia Coppola dresses how I would dream to dress. She's just so chic.
L&rsquo;O: In Theory&rsquo;s spring collection, there's a lot of play between structure and fluidity, masculine and feminine. Do you embrace both sides in your own wardrobe?
MG: Totally. I love menswear, but then sometimes I love to dress really girly. I'm actually wearing an old boyfriend's sweatpants right now, I think they&rsquo;re from high school. 
L&rsquo;O: You wear some great suits in this campaign. What do you love most about a power suit?&nbsp;
MG: As a woman, you feel like you&rsquo;re on the backfoot, just because of the way society works. I think there's something about putting on a suit and feeling powerful but also protected in this way that's really comforting. I don't know anything about math or business, but it makes me feel like I do. I think sexiness doesn't have to come from showing your skin. I think a suit is the coolest thing you can wear; Diane Keaton was such a sexy fashion icon, and the way she wore suits was really inspiring to me. The suiting for the campaign was also really comfortable&mdash;I really loved everything I wore. I was obsessed with this white button-down shirt with buttons in the back. It's classic, but then it's a little sexy in the back.&nbsp;

L&rsquo;O: Is your personal style ever influenced by your characters?
MG: Definitely. You end up sometimes stealing or being given a character&rsquo;s clothes, and then you'll wear that for a while and kind of take on that identity. It was really on The Bear, I wore Figs&mdash;the scrubs company&mdash;[as ER doctor Claire] and I was like, I would wear these all the time. I've said this before and I'll say it again: I would love to be the face of Figs.&nbsp;
L&rsquo;O: Speaking of The Bear, in Season 4, Claire had a bigger presence&mdash;one that wasn't as centered on Jeremy Allen White&rsquo;s character, Carmy. How did it feel for you to explore who Claire is to others, like Ayo Edibiri&rsquo;s Sydney?
MG: It was just the best. That show is such a gift to be a part of. I love the whole cast and crew, and Ayo is one of my closest friends. We've known each other for so long now. It was so fun to read the scripts and be like, Oh my god, we get to act together. This is actually one of my people. It&rsquo;s so special.
L&rsquo;O: Be honest, do you think that you could survive a full shift at The Bear, or would you walk out mid-service?
MG: That's so funny. I don't know! I&rsquo;ve spilled a lot of martinis on people, so maybe I would get fired. I feel like Eban [Moss-Bachrach, as front-of-house manager Richie] would be like, You're done.

L&rsquo;O: Luckily, you have other work. You're writing, starring, and directing the upcoming A24 film Peaked. What can you tell us about it?
MG: I can say that I'm just so fucking excited about the group of people that we have in this movie. Like, I feel really lucky. It's such a weird time to be alive right now, and getting to come to work every day and hopefully make something that's going to make people laugh feels like a real gift.
L&rsquo;O: You also co-directed the 2023 comedy Theater Camp. What did you learn from that experience that you're bringing to the set of Peaked?
MG: Directing is like a team sport, and I learned so much from that experience and the collaboration of the whole crew. I'm bringing that sense of collaboration to this, where every day I continue to learn so much. Going on the ride of actually making something is wild when it actually comes together, because so many things fall apart, and so many things happen that are out of your control. I think being open to compromise but holding onto your vision is the key.

L&rsquo;O: What directors have inspired your own work?
MG: PTA [Paul Thomas Anderson] was a reason that I wanted to be an actor. To see someone at the top of their game make One Battle After Another&mdash;something that is so timely and alive and creative&mdash;it was electrifying. I would die to work with him. Like, literally even to be his assistant. I would carry his things, whatever he wants. But there are so many other people, too. I loved La Chimera with Josh O' Connor, and I would die to work with the director, Alice Rohrwacher. I just love making movies, and I love acting. Hopefully I get to continue to do it, in all different ways.
L&rsquo;O: You also have The Sheep Detectives coming up, an animal-centric mystery comedy that feels like a bit of a different beat for you. What drew you to that project?
MG: Craig Mazin&mdash;who writes The Last of Us and also did Chernobyl&mdash;wrote the script, and it was really moving. I also love Babe. I just want to make movies for all different kinds of people, and it's always been a dream to be in a family movie. And when I saw that Emma Thompson was in it, I would have done anything to be a part of it.&nbsp;

L&rsquo;O: What was it like to work with her?&nbsp;
MG: She's the best person I've ever met in my life.
L&rsquo;O: It sounds like you manifested it. What are you ambitious for right now?&nbsp;
MG: I just want longevity in this career. I want to keep being able to do it; I think that's the dream. So hopefully just not fucking this up, so I get to do it again. Also, being a good friend and showing up for the people in my life. I think this job is amazing, but it takes you out of your life. I just want to see my friends and family as much as possible. And to wear Theory.

Molly Gordon Is Dressing to Direct

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