Meet Sofia Black-D’Elia, Star of ‘Single Drunk Female’ – WWD

Freeform’s new series, “Single Drunk Female,” begins with its protagonist bottoming out. Samantha is in her late 20s and lives in New York, where she works at a clickbait news website called Bzzz – both of which have been endorsed by BuzzFeed and the character’s propensity to work is noticed. After a drunken job at work, Sam is forced to move home and readjust his life.

The series – which includes Jenni Konner, a “Girls” alumnus as an executive producer – is an unlikely comedy about the journey towards sobriety. For lead actress Sofia Black-D’Elia, balancing the heaviness of the subject with a comedic tone proved the biggest challenge in ensuring the premise was achieved.

“[That challenge] It’s also the most rewarding thing to do,” said the Brooklyn-born actress, whose previous installments include “The Mick” and the original “Gossip Girl.” “The material that I’m most attracted to as an audience, as an actor, is the stuff that reflects the human experience – which I think is often very funny and at the same time very sad, ” She added.

Black-D’Elia credits series creator and writer Simone Finch (who previously worked on “The Conners”) for her nuanced depiction of relationships and situations surrounding AA. Sam navigates new dynamics with her sponsor, bandmates, childhood friend and mother, a role played by Ally Sheedy. “I was surprised at how good it was [Finch] was able to tell this story of recovery in the form of a half-hour comedy,” said Black-D’Elia.

Finch draws on the series’ own experiences and was an invaluable resource for Black-D’Elia and the rest of the cast throughout filming. “Simone has been very generous and continues to be generous to all of us about her life and journey of recovery,” she said. “As an actress, I don’t really enjoy playing myself – I want to play a character that is unfamiliar to me and plunge headfirst into a world I don’t know as well as my own,” she continued. “I’m really excited to investigate Simone’s experience and gain insight into that.”

The pilot shot in late 2020, and the entire series was filmed in Atlanta this past summer. While a second season has yet to be announced, Black-D’Elia is very hopeful.

“I have no control over what happens next and I’m not very good at predicting the future, but I hope that the audience connects with [the show],” she said. “And especially things that might involve Sam for reasons of Anonymity, I hope that they find hope and joy in the show. And hopefully we will. again – I think there’s a lot more to these relationships to explore.”

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