Molly Bernard Reveals She Calls Hilary Duff 'Mommy' After Receiving Motherhood Advice from Her 'Every Day' (Exclusive)

11/14/2024 08:00 AM

The actress welcomed her first baby, a daughter, with wife Hannah Lieberman in January 2023

Molly Bernard couldn't survive the new mom life without Hilary Duff by her side.

On Friday, Nov. 8, the actress, 36, chatted with PEOPLE following her Broadway debut as Rachel Dahl in Cult of Love, a new show that follows the Christian family the Dahls as they reunite for a chaotic Christmas dinner.

Bernard describes her character to PEOPLE, saying, "I play Rachel Dahl, who's married to Mark, the oldest son. I am a Jew, which is a little hard for the hyper-Christian family that we're in," she says, adding, "I think Rachel is a really important example for how the family does or does not handle difference. Rachel and Mark are at a precipice of change in their marriage."

In February 2023, Bernard and her wife Hannah Lieberman welcomed their first child, a "sassy baby girl." She tells PEOPLE that she couldn't have gotten through the past two years without the advice of Younger costar Duff, who's a mom to daughters Townes, 6 months, Mae James, 3, and Banks Violet, 5, with husband Matthew Koma, and son Luca Cruz, 12, with ex-husband Mike Comrie.

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Related: Molly Bernard and Wife Hannah Lieberman Welcome Their First Child, a 'Sassy Baby Girl'

"Every day she gives me motherhood advice," Bernard, who's the godmother of Duff's four kids, tells PEOPLE. "I just call her 'Mommy,' and I even stopped saying, 'Sorry, I'm doing transference on you.' It's just, 'Hi, mom!'"

She adds that when it comes to motherhood, "You can't do it alone. It's the most humbling, exhilarating experience. And you need not just a village, you need an entire community of cheerleaders and people who are going to do it with you."

Bernard shares with PEOPLE that her daughter and Duff's children are great friends, and their age gaps are "perfectly slotted" in between each other.

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"I feel like my daughter was a nice little prep for their new baby that came in," Bernard adds of Duff and Koma's newborn Townes. "They're obsessed with her. It's great."

Becoming a mom to her baby girl has been "the most incredible experience of my life," Bernard tells PEOPLE, adding, "I know it's cliché."

"I was terrified to become a mom —It's scary! And it's the greatest, most loving event that has ever happened to me," she says sweetly.