SCREENED | SOFIA BLACK-D’ELIA
Getting Into Character With Single Drunk Female Star Sofia Black-D’Elia

Breakout star and actor Sofia Black-D’Elia, of Freeform’s boldly-titled Single Drunk Female, enjoys the message of hope that emerges across ten episodes in the series that is executive-produced by Girls’ Jenni Konner. Black-D’Elia shares a similar sense of humor with Konner, whom she describes as “quick, really smart, a good hang, and everything you would want in a show partner.” Launching her career on All My Children, and with roles on Gossip Girl, MTV’s Skins, The Mick, and more, Sofia’s performance in the dark comedy, currently streaming and recently airing its season finale, is beautifully nuanced and displays a level of savvy that makes her one to watch—leaving us wanting more. We first meet her character Samantha Fink in a dark place of addiction, one where Sofia focused on “finding the funny.” She loves playing someone who’s gaining confidence and becoming more hopeful, as opposed to the cliché flip-side of many on-screen stories centered around the journey of finding sobriety. We sat down with the 30-year-old northern New Jersey native tasked with helping to portray Writer-Creator Simone Finch’s semi-autobiographical story, to talk about the similarities and differences, the approach to the series’ subject matter, Gen Z, convincing costumes, and more.

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Sofia Black-D’Elia was anxious about turning 30. That was until she met her Single Drunk Female character Samantha Fink. “It was like, ‘Well, I’m not this bad!’” she laughs, alluding to the onslaught of cringe-worthy choices Samantha makes throughout the show. The Freeform comedy about a 28-year-old woman coming to terms with her alcohol abuse and navigating sobriety back home is a refreshing depiction of addiction, grief, and complicated family relationships. But perhaps what the show does best is bring a more honest lightness to the serious subject matter. After all, it’s not only dark times. There are joyful moments in the recovery process too.

Despite the positive response to the show’s first two episodes, Black-D’Elia is still feeling the pressure of starring in a comedy about such heavy topics. “You can tell by my babbling I’m still freaked out by it,” she says. To be fair, the actress is still somewhat new to the world of comedy. While evidence of her ability to bring the funny is on display in the Fox series The Mick, the majority of her work has consisted of bad-girl types in dramas such as Skins and The Night Of, so naturally, she had some nerves going in. “I think it’s a really fine line to me,” she says of creating a dark comedy like Single Drunk Female. “Especially first seasons of a comedy, you’re finding [your footing] regardless of the topic or the tone. … From the second I read the pilot, I was like, ‘Oh, this is going to be tough.’” Continue reading