With the recent release of season two of “Single Drunk Female,” Jewish audiences have been reunited with Samantha Fink, one of the most relatable (and messy) 20-something Jewish characters on TV right now.
“From the start, the show embraces Sam’s Jewish roots in what I thought was a casual, yet authentic manner,” Hey Alma contributor Gilliana Hope wrote of the show in 2022. “The dialogue contains Jewish references in almost every episode; my favorite quotes include ‘You’re the Russian-Jewish tank!’ and “’t’s like being the only Jewish kid in town on Christmas,’ and they’re just a taste of the many relatable lines. A menorah is visible in the Finks’ living room while a mezuzah greets visitors at the front door. Jewish influences can be seen in episode arcs as well, such as when Carol’s book club discusses generational trauma.”
Plus, the show features a fantastic Jewish cast, including Ally Sheedy and Sofia Black D’Elia, who plays Sam.
Here are 18 things to know about Sofia Black-D’Elia.
1. Sofia was born on December 24, 1991 in New Jersey to a Jewish mother and a non-Jewish father.
2. She’s of Russian Jewish ancestry on her mother’s side and of Italian ancestry on her father’s side.
3. Swipe to see an adorable photo of her as a kid:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CrTwvl_JVga/
4. She began acting at a young age.
“She was maybe 6 years old,” Sofia’s grandmother said of her role in a small production of “Grease.” “But she wanted to do it right. She was always serious about it, always had perseverance. She had it in her as early as that.”
5. Sofia first began dance and acting training as a tween at Broadway Bound.
“It was so fun and so freeing, and I felt like I had finally found fellow weirdos,” Sofia remembered in an interview.
6. She had a bat mitzvah!
7. Sofia booked her first professional role when she was a senior in high school! She played recurring character Bailey Wells in “All My Children.”
8. After graduating from Clifton High School, Sofia was accepted to Rutgers’ Mason Gross School of the Arts. However, she opted to play Tea Marvelli in the U.S. adaptation of “Skins” instead of going to college.
“It was probably the hardest decision,” her mother told NJ.com.
9. Still, Sofia continued her study of acting at New York’s William Esper Studio.
10. From 2017 to 2018, she played Sabrina Pemberton in “The Mick.”
11. She once starred in a Viral Monologue from The 24 Hour Plays called “I Don’t Sell Weed“:
12. She married director Henry Joost in 2021. They met in 2016 on the set of Joost’s film “Viral.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CVyQMKUpuL9/
13. Plus, her dad, who’s a judge, married the couple!
Sofia Black-D'Elia's dad is a judge and officiated her wedding in his own courthouse! 👰♀️@singledrunktv pic.twitter.com/pm2HvUzihZ
— Good Morning America (@GMA) April 21, 2023
Adorable!
14. In “Single Drunk Female,” Sofia gives a nuanced portrayal of a young person struggling with alcoholism.
15. Sofia channeled a former Hebrew school classmate in an episode of “Single Drunk Female.”
“There’s something I wear in [episode three], which is a short-sleeve T-shirt and a weird tank dress that is a little ill-fitting and moccasins,” Black-D’Elia told Who Wheat Wear. “I felt like I looked exactly like this girl Rebecca that I went to Hebrew school with. She was — I don’t know — 10 when I went to Hebrew school, so it’s a near-30-year-old woman wearing a 10-year-old’s Hebrew school outfit.”
16. Check out all this behind-the-scenes content:
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cq-hEiruJgr/
17. And definitely check out this trailer for season two:
18. Ultimately, Sofia is proud of her character in the latest season.
“I’m proud of Sam for taking responsibility for her actions. In this season, we get to see her own up to her side of the street,” Black-D’Elia said.
