Los Angeles-based actress Elizabeth Alderfer is the comic relief we have been waiting for. As a master in the comedy genre and an undying passion for entertaining she is sure to brighten your spirits. Elizabeth constantly adds emphasis to the good things in life and uses her acting skills to step into roles a such. Starting as a young dancer and introduced to acting, she quickly fell in love with the craft. Today you can see her in incredible shows like “Orange Is The New Black” and “The Good Wife”. Currently, she stars in “A.P. Bio”, a hit Peacock comedy series playing Lynette, an adorably hilarious payroll woman. So be sure to check those titles out and so much more Elizabeth has to offer. Apart from being an astounding actress who learns something different from each role she takes on, she also educates herself and aids various humanitarian organizations like No One Left Behind: an organization that fights for Afghan interpreters who have worked with our soldiers. Please continue reading below to learn more about this amazing human being, her love for acting, her fight against world hunger, and her quarantine pass time!

Where are you based?
I split my time between Los Angeles and the Bay Area! My husband works in Berkeley, so it’s a great excuse to get away and take some breaks from Hollywood.

When did you first start to dabble in the entertainment industry?
My gateway was dance. I started lessons at an early age and eventually fell in love with the styles I saw in Broadway shows — particularly the work of Bob Fosse.

How did you know acting was a passion of yours, and what do you enjoy about it?
I think my first inkling came from performing lip sync dance solos. I loved pretending I was Liza Minnelli in Cabaret or Gwen Verdon in Chicago. I’ve always found the opportunity to “put on” someone else a thrilling experience, perhaps because I’m a bit of an introvert. It’s easier for me to perform in a play than to give a speech as me.

What did your first couple of roles teach you about yourself?
I don’t think I ever considered myself funny until I started getting cast in plays in college. The very first thing I performed in was “Hidden in this Picture” by Aaron Sorkin, a one-act play involving two filmmakers freaking out that three cows have entered the frame of the last shot of their film as the sun is quickly setting. I remember being surprised at how many laughs I got. I totally understand when stand-up comics describe laughter as addictive, because it absolutely shoots a different energy into a performance, especially when you can’t join in the laughter. For the rest of my time at college, I gravitated toward things that had at least a comedic element to them.

You can be seen in season two of Chuck Lorre’s comedy series “United States of Al”, which premiered on October 7, 2021, on CBS. Can you tell us a bit about the series and your character?
The series follows the friendship between Awalmir “Al” Karimi, an Afghan interpreter newly arrived in the US and Riley, a marine readjusting to civilian life. I play Lizzie, Riley’s sister, who lost her fiancé in the war and is trying to put the pieces of her life back together. Lizzie is an artist and idealist — in a lot of ways the opposite of all the veteran men she lives with!

What are audition processes like for you? How do you center yourself and prepare to take on a role?
It took me a long time to trust in my own creative taste. A lot of the time I think actors are caught up in trying to predict what a director or a producer is looking for because they don’t feel comfortable owning their ideas. So the first thing I try to remember is to banish any speculation of what I think they want. It’s incredibly freeing and allows me to dream authentically about how I see the character.

Even before Covid, a lot of auditioning was moving to the self-tape model (where actors record themselves at home.) I think the control afforded actors doing it this way can be great, especially if you enjoy self-direction, but there’s really nothing like working with a casting director in the room. If harnessed correctly, that adrenaline rush adds so much to a performance, and the collaboration that happens in the room is usually where a character is truly born.

Your additional credits include “Disjointed,” opposite Kathy Bates, “The Good Wife.” and “Orange Is the New Black,” what has been your favorite role so far?
I don’t think it’s possible to choose a favorite! I won’t liken it to choosing favorites with children, but there is a piece of yourself in every character you bring to life. If I absolutely had to pick, though, I would go with my current role of Lizzie on United States of Al. For one, this is the longest I’ve gotten to live with a character, so my relationship with her has deepened in a new and exciting way. She’s also so wonderfully layered and complex. Often, when I’m describing our show to someone, I have to remind them that it’s a comedy. It’s rare you get to flex both your drama and comedy muscles in the same project, and Lizzie has so much to offer both genres.

Another one of your latest roles is currently streaming on Peacock. In this hit workplace comedy series, “A.P. Bio,” you play Lynette, a quirky payroll woman at Whitlock High. Do you enjoy playing that character? And what is it like to step into Lynette’s shoes?
I adore playing Lynette! Her character breakdown when I auditioned included a great tidbit that she had a YouTube channel where she reviewed soups. I loved how incredibly specific that was, and it helped me shape her specific brand of weirdo.

Rubén Polendo was one of my acting teachers in college, and he used to talk about finding the heartbeat of a character. I tend to operate with a quicker heartbeat as a person (hello anxiety!), while I see Lynette as a lot cooler of a customer. Embodying her was a great exercise in relaxing, leaning back, and letting other characters gravitate toward her.

You have thorough experience in the Comedy genre. Do you have a favorite entertainment genre, and why?
I do love comedy in all its forms, though I suppose I’m biased. I love that there’s no part of life that humor doesn’t touch.

I remember being in the ICU waiting room as my husband and his family waited for news about a beloved uncle. Everyone was overwhelmed with worry and grief, and yet we couldn’t help but to crack jokes: silly, even childish ones. Whatever would break the tension of the unthinkable reality we all knew was coming.

Humans need comedy because drama is there all on its own.

We all know the entertainment industry can be very fast-paced; what does your ideal set environment look like?
A set can feel like either a collection of equipment, a bunch of people you have to deal with, or a home away from home. The latter can only occur when the crew feels safe and valued and listened to. I’m so relieved that IATSE was able to make some headway on issues that can improve their workers’ lives! The happier the crew, the happier the set.

Jejune applauds you for your social and global human rights advocacy! What prompted your need to advocate for change?
I’m really lucky to have a lot of incredibly smart and genuinely decent people in my life who have always kept each other honest about ways we can all be better citizens. So I credit my friends and family with shaping how I educate myself about issues I care about and encouraging me to do what I can to help.

You are heavily and closely involved with the non-profit organization, No One Left Behind, an association that advocates for Afghan interpreters who served alongside our military. Can you elaborate on the mission of this cause and your role? Why do you believe this is so important?
Before I started working on United States of Al, I knew nothing of the growing panic in communities of Afghan interpreters and the US servicemen who worked alongside them. Just as our show depicts, these relationships were forged in some of the harshest of circumstances and are family-like bonds. NOLB has been advocating for years to simplify and reform a system overwhelmed with problems that slowed the promised immigration of U.S. allies. Unfortunately, no one was able to prevent the crisis we all saw play out this past summer. Our writers room turned into a war room. By day, they would write our show. By night, (daytime in Afghanistan) they would search for ways to evacuate family and friends.

I got in touch with our amazing military consultant, Chase Millsap, to put me to work. He connected me with NOLB, where I was tasked with corresponding with hundreds of desperate Afghans to get information the State Department needed to evacuate them. Many never made it to the airport or out of Afghanistan, but I’m happy to report that some did.

I know this is a can of worms, but what are your thoughts on the whole Afghanistan war and our exit? How would you like to see us helping the people who were left behind in the wake?
I like to think I’m a pretty smart person, but I know I have no business pontificating about such a complicated and nuanced geopolitical quagmire.

What I’m focused on is taking care of the people we can in the fallout. That includes veterans suffering from PTSD or experiencing homelessness, Afghan refugees rebuilding in a strange new place far from their home, and gold star families mourning their loved ones. There’s so much to be accomplished looking forward rather than debating what we cannot change in the past.

Being a supporter of The World Central Kitchen and The Sonoma Family Meal, both organizations combat poverty and hunger, what message do you wish to convey to your audience about food insecurity?
Natural disasters and humanitarian crises are getting more and more frequent, and the people suffering as a result are probably closer than you realize. I hope each challenge brings a renewed realization that no one is coming to save the day: it’s truly up to us to take care of one another, and one of the most impactful ways you can do that is to ensure everyone has nourishing food to eat.

If you had one wish for humanity, what would it be?
I wish we could all put aside all our excuses, both personal and national, to finally act meaningfully on climate change.

Do you have any other exciting projects coming our way?
It’s always been a goal of mine to try on storytelling from the other side of the camera, so I’m working on my first screenplay!

How have you been staying positive during shelter in place? Are you back to normal now?
My husband and I both got really into birdwatching. I really can’t recommend it enough (unless you’re someone who’s terrified of birds, of course). It combines being surrounded by nature with the necessity of quiet and focus.

I don’t know that I’ll ever be back to normal, but I also think I’m okay with that. Normal was not good enough. I like to think we’re all a bit more aware of how connected we all are, how precious those connections are, and our collective responsibility to take care of each other.

What is your life motto?
Put your own mask on before assisting others! You have to take care of yourself, or else, you’ll be no good to those who need you. So take good care of yourself!

To stay up to date with all things Elizabeth, follow her on the platforms below:
Instagram: @lizderfer
Twitter: @LizAlderfer

Focus On The Good Things With Elizabeth Alderfer