An Interview with Alfie Fuller from ‘Deli Boys’

Alfie Fuller as Prairie in ‘Deli Boys’. (Photo Courtesy of James Washington/Disney/Hulu.)

Alfie Fuller is a rising star in Hollywood and has already made her mark by captivating audiences as Dinah Rutledge in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Currently she stars as Prairie in the Hulu series, Deli Boys, and we had the honor of sitting down with Alfie to discuss her work on the show.
 
John Betancourt: I would love to start by getting to know what it was that attracted you to this role as an actor.
 
Alfie Fuller: Sure, I had never read a script like this before, and I read a lot of scripts and it had me laughing in my apartment out loud, and I just knew that it was special and that I wanted to be a part of it.
 
John Betancourt: Laughing out loud is the appropriate response to this show for sure. But what I also love, is how grounded the show is, and something I’ve asked your co-stars today, is how you managed to ground Prairie.
 
Alfie Fuller: You know, I pulled a lot from my personal life. I know some Prairies, some very witchy, bushwick women. I've been a witchy woman, and probably will continue to be, and the rest was already on the page. I mean, the writers do an incredible job of making these characters three dimensional, and so it was really easy to step in and make them real, make her real.
 
John Betancourt: In talking to everyone today, there’s a real joy in what everyone has to say about their roles, and I hear it in your voice too, and I’m curious what you enjoyed the most about playing Prairie.
 
Alfie Fuller: Oh, I enjoy that Prairie really does not care what anyone thinks of her. She is locked into her own little world, and she just wants to have her orjica ball and her psychedelics and love Raj and just be at peace.
 
John Betancourt: Obviously, this is a special show, and there's nothing like this at all on television, and I'm curious what it means to you, in every sense of that phrase, to be a part of refreshing an original project.
 
Alfie Fuller: Absolutely. I mean, it's a monumental show. It's like you said, it's like nothing we've seen before, which makes it historic. And the fact that these actors, myself included, get to play characters that we don't normally get to play is such an honor and a privilege, and I'm just ecstatic about being a part of it.
 
John Betancourt: What's great too, is there's so much to this. We've got this depth, comedy, messaging. We've got just great layers to it. What are you most excited for audiences to experience without any spoilers?
 
Alfie Fuller: Let's see. I am excited for viewers to be taken by surprise. I think they're gonna go into episode one thinking they know what's happening. That they know this story. And then by episode 10, they're gonna be like, “I didn't see any of that coming.” And so I'm just, I'm excited to hear, you know, the feedback.
 
John Betancourt: What are you most proud of when it comes to your work on the show in season one?
 
Alfie Fuller: I think I'm just gonna echo myself again and say I'm just really proud to be a part of this cast and this story. I think we made something really magical, really funny, really entertaining and enjoyable. And I hope that we leave people wanting more.
 
John Betancourt: Last question I have for you today. If you had to describe season one in a single word, what would that word be?
 
Alfie Fuller: I'm gonna say, unexpected.
 
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.