Pop-Culturalist.com

Ali Fumiko Whitney is a rising star who has captivated audiences with her compelling performances in Snow Valley, Worth the Wait, and Cabin Girl.

She’ll next be seen in the Tribeca Film Festival fan favorite, #AMFAD: All My Friends Are Dead, a fresh take on the slasher genre. The film follows a group of college friends who rent an Airbnb for the biggest music festival of the year. What starts as a weekend of partying quickly turns deadly as the group is murdered one by one according to their sins.

Ali shines in her breakout performance as Liv, infusing the character with emotional depth and empathetic charm, transforming a potentially unlikable role into a standout portrayal.

Pop Culturalist had the privilege of speaking with Ali about #AMFAD: All My Friends Are Dead, exploring how the film brilliantly blends horror with comedy, her approach to embodying her character, and her commitment to championing stories for her community.

PC: #AMFAD: All My Friends Are Dead is such a fantastic throwback to classic slasher films with its own unique twists and turns. What was your initial reaction when the script first came across your desk? What was it about this character that resonated with you?
Ali: When I first read this script, I loved that I honestly had no idea where it was going. I don’t want to give away too much, but I felt like you couldn’t predict who did what, who was responsible for what, and who was good and who was bad. I personally love a script where you can’t predict the ending. As viewers, we always try to predict the endings of films. With this one, there are quite a few twists and turns at the end that really threw me for a loop. That’s what initially drew me to the script—it was the fact that I had no idea where it was going. Secondly, it fits its own classic horror slasher genre, but I love that it’s such a heavy ensemble comedy script with live action.

With Liv, when I first read the script, her part was much smaller. Thank goodness our director felt that to get the payoff and arc for the character and for audiences to care about Liv, she needed more screen time, which I was of course thrilled about. He actually wrote a bulk of my character’s scenes with our lead actress Jade Pettyjohn, who plays Sarah. Her friendship with my character was created a couple of days before we started filming. I’m so happy they ended up adding that friendship storyline in because it makes the end of the movie that much more tragic.

I really enjoyed that it’s a film that didn’t take itself too seriously. It wasn’t afraid to be weird, funny, and gross. It was a lot of fun to be a part of.

PC: You’re captivating to watch on screen. You’re actually not a stranger to horror films with Snow Valley being your first feature, which you’re also incredible in. This genre doesn’t play by any rules. How does that freedom push you creatively? Is this a genre that you enjoy watching as a viewer?
Ali: It’s funny; I got asked this question today about this being my third horror film. It’s weird to think about because honestly, if you had asked me when I decided I wanted to pursue acting, I would have never guessed that I would go into this world so deeply. Although I did take an acting class when I first moved to New York City, they held up my headshot, and the class went around and said what they saw me doing in my future career. I kid you not, someone raised their hand and said, “She’s going to be the girl who always dies in a horror film.” I was like, “Oh, okay.” I was a little offended, but then you know what? Thank you to that girl for manifesting a career in horror for me because it’s been so much fun.

As a viewer, I used to be terrified of horror, but now having been in three separate, very different films that are considered horror, there’s so much playfulness to horror that people don’t realize, especially in the creation of the characters.

Specifically, All My Friends Are Dead is such a playful script. There’s so much to work with and have fun with, which makes it that much more satisfying to see my character throughout and where she ends up at the end.

PC: Perfect segue to this next question. Without giving any spoilers, all of these characters have skeletons in their closet. But you approach your character with such an empathetic quality that it evokes all these different emotions throughout this roller coaster of a film. For you as an actress, what was your way into this character?
Ali: Thank you for saying that. That’s really sweet. I’m really happy to hear that because I think a character like Liv, who is this wannabe influencer, who constantly wants more, who wants fame and quick, easy money, can be really easy for someone like that to be so disliked. That was something important to me when I went into this. I wanted to make sure she had something that the audience could relate to.

Deep down, Liv is really deeply insecure. She’s a people pleaser. She wants approval from everyone around her. That’s something that a lot of us, especially as female actresses, can tap into. I honestly brought pieces of myself into Liv because I didn’t want her to be written off as this annoying girl who doesn’t shut up about wanting more likes, fame, and Instagram. I wanted her to be a well-rounded, well-liked person despite having skeletons in her closet.

PC: I was rooting for your character. I was hoping for a different ending for your character without giving spoilers away.
Ali: Thank you. [laughs] Me too, but you can’t win them all.

PC: As you were saying earlier, the use of humor is absolutely brilliant in this film. While these characters have these over-the-top personalities and incredible one-liners, it’s also so grounded and honest. Can you talk a bit about your collaboration with Marcus Dunstan and finding how far to push those moments?
Ali: Marcus was the kindest director. He was really generous in letting us play. He had a vision and an idea for the story. He created the world that we walked into on set, but he gave us the freedom to bounce off each other. Even though we shot the entire film in twelve days, which is insane, we really bonded heavily as a cast because we spent all day, every day together.

We didn’t have trailers; we had one green room. Even on our breaks, we were all together having lunch and dinner. The comfortability we had off set made it easy to improvise and play off each other when cameras were rolling. Marcus really encouraged us. He would always say, “Feel free to do whatever your character would say or do in this moment. Please feel free to ad lib your reactions.” That led to some really funny, great moments that made it into the final cut.

PC: In the film, each of the characters picks one of the seven deadly sins that best encompasses who they are. We’ve asked Jade and Marcus this already, but if you had to choose one that best encompasses who you are, which would it be and why?
Ali: That’s such a good question. I would say greed, which is also what my character Liv’s sin is. I say that because in this industry, greed and pride are probably the two easiest ones to fall into or succumb to as an actor. I would say greed because I love portraying that with Liv, but I also always love trying new things. People ask, “What’s next?” and I’m like, “I don’t know, but I want to keep going.” In a nicer way, I’ll say that I’m hungry for more.

PC: All My Friends Are Dead had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in June. It’s been incredibly well received. What was it like getting to see your film on a big screen with a live audience, especially after the past couple of years that we’ve all experienced? What do you think is resonating most with audiences?
Ali: I’m from New York. None of us knew what to expect with this film that we shot in twelve days. We said it’s either going to be the best thing in the world or it could be the worst thing. But it was fun, so we’ll see what happens. To get the payoff of Tribeca as our launching platform was so special. I’m so happy for Marcus, our DP Andy, and everyone who worked really hard on this. To get the recognition that Tribeca gave us was incredible.

There’s really nothing like watching a film for the first time with an audience and hearing people react. Sometimes you think that this joke is going to land and maybe this one won’t. Then it’s the opposite. [laughs] You never know what people are going to react to. The second day that I saw it in theaters, people were screaming. People were crying laughing. People were making all these noises. It was really special that as a cast we were able to get together and experience that. You don’t always get that payoff with these lower-budget movies, so it was really cool.

PC: Congratulations. You’ve talked about this in the past, but growing up, you didn’t see yourself represented on screen. We’re living in such an exciting era right now for Asian creatives where we get to see these diverse characters exist in a story, and their ethnicity and race aren’t the focal point of their storyline. Have you had time to reflect on your own contributions knowing that there might be young boys and girls who are going to see someone of mixed race for the first time on screen? What has this moment meant to you?
Ali: So much. It’s pretty wild that it’s 2024 and obviously there’s been so much change, but to your point, it is still not as common to see Asian, Asian-American, or mixed Asian characters get to just exist. A lot of the times, their culture is the focal point of their storyline. To exist in this world with All My Friends Are Dead where myself and Jennifer Ens are both mixed—she’s half Thai, I’m half Japanese—is really cool. Art is supposed to imitate life, especially in a city like New York, which is a melting pot of cultures.

I would be honored if one person who’s also of mixed ethnicity thought, “If she can do this, I can do this,” because she’s getting to play a part that’s wild, out there, and fun, and has nothing to do with the fact that she’s half Asian. That’s a special privilege that I’m honored to have.

PC: There are definitely young actors who are watching your performances and films and seeing themselves. Outside of this film, you come from a family of creatives who like to explore different facets of the craft and industry. Could we see you direct or write something in the future?
Ali: Heck yeah. I don’t know if I can do them all at once, but I’d like to slowly but surely start out by producing. I’ve already started doing this. I’ve been shadowing every producer that I’ve worked with. I always ask a bunch of questions. Even if I’m not filming, I like to be in the video village and watch.

There’s so much to learn from everyone on set. It’s all hands on deck, especially with these independent films. I specifically feel very passionate and strongly about wanting to represent who I am on screen. If I’m not reading scripts that I think resonate with a half-Japanese American woman, then I have to create it.

I know you’ve spoken with my sister about this, but she’s taken the approach of writing her own stories and producing them. I’m at the point now where I hope these projects will give me a platform to start creating stories that I really want to see told.

To keep up with Ali, follow her on Instagram. #AMFAD: All My Friends Are Dead hits select theaters, On Demand, and digitally on August 2nd.

Photo Credit: Matthew Priestly