Episode 175: Aliza Vellani

Aliza Vellani portrays Rani in Sweet Tooth, the critically acclaimed eight-part post-apocalyptic fantasy series that hit Netflix in early June. Sweet Tooth draws its inspiration from Jeff Lemire’s comic book series about a boy who’s half-human and half deer navigating a world that has been devastated by a virus that has killed a lot of people and led to the mysterious emergence of human-animal hybrid babies. The Vancouver actress plays Rani Singh. Rani has the virus, but is a rare long-term survivor, thanks to her doctor-husband Aditya’s devotion and mysterious life-saving treatments. As Rani, Aliza is vulnerable, strong, funny, and as hopelessly devoted to her husband as he is to her. It’s a much different role than the other character for which she is widely known: that of the teenaged Layla Siddiqui on CBC’s iconic comedy Little Mosque on the Prairie – a role in which both Aliza and Layla grew up before our very eyes. In this fascinating, funny, and frank episode, Aliza discusses the magic of working on a post-apocalyptic-but-hopeful fantasy series about a pandemic during a pandemic, why representation matters, and how Little Mosque on the Prairie changed the game. Episode sponsor: UBCP/ACTRA