Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with United States of Al’s Elizabeth Alderfer

Elizabeth Alderfer has made her mark on the industry with her undeniable charisma and comedic prowess. She’s delivered laugh-out-loud performances in projects including Disjointed, Orange Is the New Black, and A.P. Bio.

Currently, she can be seen reprising her role as Lizzie in United States of Al.

Pop Culturalist had the pleasure of interviewing Elizabeth about discovering her passion for storytelling, United States of Al Season 2, and using her platform to amplify the voices of others.

Career

PC: How did you discover your passion for acting and storytelling?
Elizabeth: I actually started to fall in love with performing through dance. My mom loves to tell the story about how when I was two I would never stop dancing in the grocery and hardware store. She never had to worry about where I was because she could always hear me pitter-pattering. She put me in dance classes. I found musical theater that way. I did a lot of lip syncing, a lot of big jazzy numbers. That seamlessly fed into when I did musical theater in high school. My dad was a choir director, so we grew up singing.

It’s funny that the acting part of the trifecta was the last that I came into but ended up being the one thing that I would pursue. Hilariously, my mom would always say, “I love you. You’re very talented, but you’re a better actor than a singer or dancer. Maybe you should pursue acting?” She really encouraged me to take it seriously and to audition for drama programs for college. I had the opposite experience that most actors have. I was like, “I should do something practical like English.” She really pushed me to take it seriously. That’s how that happened.

PC: That might be the answer to this next question. Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Elizabeth: My mom, for sure. I wouldn’t have the self-confidence to have pursued it in the first place if it weren’t for my mom. But professionally, I will forever be grateful to casting director Rob Decina. He’s fantastic. He’s done a lot of amazing work over the years. He just so happened to be casting this non-union Syfy show. It was one of those reenactment shows. The most important part of it was that I looked like the girl who was telling the story.

I went in and found the casting notice online. He is one of those rare souls who makes sure to lift people up when he knows that they can benefit from his help. After we shot, I met my manager and agent because of him. I’ll periodically email him and say, “Thanks again. I have a career because of you.” I love people who do that. It takes two seconds to be like, “This person is actually working really hard. Let me put in a call.”

PC: You’ve had a lot of success already in your career. When you look back, is there a particular moment that stands out?
Elizabeth: Disjointed, no question. I had always seen myself as more of a dramatic actor. That’s probably because I went to Drama school with a capital “D.” I did Shakespeare and Chekhov. I always thought, “Drama’s the real acting.” There were no comedy class—at least there wasn’t at my drama school. When I first started to audition, my agent would always tell me, ”You’re really funny. I think you should take comedy seriously.” Not that I didn’t have enormous respect for it. I just thought comedy was so difficult and intimidating, especially if you hadn’t done a ton of it. I didn’t really trust that I was a funny person or that I could be funny until I was cast in Disjointed. That was my introduction to the multi-camera, Chuck Lorre world for the first time. It made me fall in love with that process. The inclusion of an audience is the last piece of the puzzle. I haven’t really looked back since.

PC: You’ve used your platform to bring awareness to causes and issues that you’re incredibly passionate about. How did you discover your voice as an advocate?
Elizabeth: This past year has brought a lot of things into sharp focus for a lot of people: where your priorities should lie and what really matters. That’s absolutely true for me. I started to realize how much suffering is in the world. The gratitude that I felt to be safe, to have a secure home, to be healthy, and to be employed, all that gratitude started to motivate me to question more deeply. Like you said, how can I use this small or large platform I have and make sure that I’m furthering voices and ideas that I think are really important?

United States of Al

PC: You’re one of the stars of United States of Al, and Season 2 is airing right now. What can fans expect with this upcoming season?
Elizabeth: A lot of the same. The priority from the very beginning has been to use the incredible visibility of a network sitcom to normalize Afghan culture and the issues facing Afghans for a wider US audience. That’s the big difference with Season 2. We had a lot of help with that visibility, with what’s been going on in Afghanistan, and I think Americans have been impassioned to care about what’s been going on in that corner of the world. We’re excited to hit the ground running and use that platform to continue to keep that story in the conversation.

There’s a lot going on in the world. The news cycle moves on very, very quickly, no matter what it is, except maybe COVID. We’re excited to keep it in the forefront, to keep it on people’s minds, especially as thousands of Afghan refugees are arriving in communities across the US. You might not even realize that you have a few Afghan families arriving right in your community. Hopefully, if you see our show you’ll be in a little bit better of a place to start that conversation with that family.

PC: The first season was incredibly well received. Did that bring a different weight/pressure heading into Season 2?
Elizabeth: No question. We feel an enormous responsibility to get things right. I have the utmost respect and admiration for our writers and our producing team. There are so many amazing Afghan voices in addition to the veteran community. All of those voices in the writers’ room work tirelessly to make sure that we’re addressing the issues that face both Afghans and veterans, as this Afghan conflict over the past twenty years has brought those two communities very, very close together.

Our writers are incredible. They rewrote our premiere episode over the course of a week and a half to directly deal with the fall of Kabul and everything that happened in August. The outcome is a half hour of television that’s incredibly raw and honest. It’s a direct retelling of one of our writers’ experiences that weekend, which is insane. I love them. They’re amazing. I’m so lucky to get to say their words every week.

PC: Having embodied this character for two seasons now, has anything surprised you about your character’s journey? What’s the biggest takeaway for you playing this character?
Elizabeth: Lizzie becomes the moral center of the show quite quickly. That definitely surprised me. I was very taken with this character’s messiness, especially in the wake of her fiancé’s death, and everything that grief does to a person and the way it fogs your whole life. She’s put on pause, and she moved back in with her dad. So week after week, she somehow finds the ability to cut through the fog and center her family in this really beautiful way. I think she does come through that grief. Similar to what a lot of us experienced during the pandemic, it brings into sharp focus what is important and what is true. I’ve really enjoyed her being the one to keep everybody in line and honest.

PC: If you had to describe Season 2 in a sentence, what would it be?
Elizabeth: Now that Al is truly a part of the Dugan family and his family is as safe as they can be, it’s time to continue on with life.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: Guilty pleasure TV show?
Elizabeth: RuPaul’s Drag Race.

PC: Guilty pleasure movie?
Elizabeth: My Cousin Vinny.

PC: Favorite book?
Elizabeth: The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery.

PC: Favorite play or musical?
Elizabeth: Jerusalem.

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Elizabeth: Wu-Tang Clan.

PC: Who would play you in the story of your life?
Elizabeth: Natalia Dyer.

To keep up with Elizabeth, follow her on Twitter and Instagram. Watch United States of Al on CBS today.

Photo Credit: Storm Santos