"Alphas" Star Azita Ghanizada on Finding the Humanity Behind Superheroes

Please let me know when you're on the road. I'm honest with you. I know where them. I have the glasses in the car. I'm You just openly admitted. I'd like to be able to see when I drive. I'm Olly here at the Young Hollywood studio with the lovely Azita Ganizada.

Oh my gosh, Olly, you said that correctly.

I did, didn't I?

You did. Did you practice all day?

No. That's just naturally how I would read your name. Azita Ganizada.

Oh, there's my name. I didn't even see that. Yeah. And they spelled it right. Yeah. When I was little, um, cuz I grew up in Virginia, even though I was born in Afghanistan, and everybody was named like Jen Smith, or Jen Fix, or Jen short, or John. Lots of Jeds, and lots of Johns, and lots of Michaels, but then I would know that the teacher was at my name cuz she would stop, and she would be like And I was like, Azita Ganizada, it's not that hard. And I was like, in kindergarten, so I've been used to people saying my name. You did. This is cuz you're British. I speak Dari as well.

Oh, you do?

Yeah. Fluent Dari. Yeah, I said that to you. Yeah. Yeah. I love all these cameras. This is a really cool set up. One of the things that we did on Alfaz, um, for last season, which was our first season was, uh, we did these things called the doggy mount. We had cameras doggy mounted onto us like they do in the military. They did it in train spotting also. So basically you take like, um, like a like a metal rig, and so it's like this heavy rig, and they mount like a 5D or a 7D Canon camera onto you. So then you go crazy. And it basically is like this clipped speed of you going crazy. So it was like really cool what they can do with all the cameras. And I'm just noting that. All the cameras. I never knew that. You can apply your super senses. Yes. So, you are human, you're not an alien or anything like that. No. No. You're just people that have great senses. Yeah. Alfaz are like everyday human beings. Like it would it's, you know, Zack Penn who wrote a couple of the heroes and he wrote, um, The Avengers. He story credit on The Avengers and The Incredible Hawk and a bunch of stuff. He's kind of curiosity was about what happens when the superheroes come home and take off their capes? Like or if they're fighting crime and they're in these costumes, how do they pee? So it was more about like real kind of humanity behind being a superhero. And, uh, yeah, my character can hyper intensify all of her senses. She can super see, hear, taste, touch and smell. I don't know if the smelling's the best one. I think it's the best one. You know? So that's a little hard. Plus she hasn't really been able to ever have a boyfriend because of the super touch. It's been weird for her. And so she's just kind of learning how to be, um, I guess, you know, a young adult with these abilities.

How to control them?

She's learning how to control them. Yes, and that's what the show's about.

If you could have any one of the senses Yeah. in real life. Obviously you've got the senses, but if you could have them super sense in real life, which one would you have?

Um, I'd probably want to be able to super see because I can kind of super hear, which is a little, you know, you hear people talk about you and stuff. And then you kind of that's a little disturbing. And that's been hard for Rachel too. But being able to super see would be cool because I have to wear glasses at night and I would like to be able to see clearly when I drive. Okay. That helps. And not have to wear my glasses.

Please let me know when you're on the road. I'm honest with you. I know where them. I have the glasses in the car. You just openly admitted. I'd like to be able to see when I drive. People that don't know, you were born well, you were born in Afghanistan. Yes. And you came here. How was that breaking into the American culture?

Oh gosh, from Afghanistan to Hollywood, right? That's This is similar to England to Hollywood. It's so different. It is very different. From the language barrier, but Exactly. You know, honestly, if it was definitely a difficult place to be between a rock and a hard, I always say cuz, you know, you have people in your community that don't necessarily think it's the best, you know, business to be in to kind to have independence to have free spirit and to work on a set with boys and when you're younger to the potential to kiss a boy in a scene. I mean, that's very horrifying and can bring a lot of shame and so it was a bit hard to kind of even break through within my own community and culture and and make them accept it. And then here it's kind of like people didn't know where I fit in. Right. And what was I? Was I the girl next door? Was I the refugee? And I just kind of decided to work hard and be the better actor so that it didn't matter what I was.

What would you say you are now then?

Um, I'm your I'm the girl next door with superhuman abilities.

That's cool. You've guest starred in so much as well, which I was I was, you know, looking at your obviously, your resume, your old IMDb and it's huge. I didn't know that. What haven't you guest starred on that you would have liked to? Doesn't need to still be on the air, but was there one show that you were like, Oh, I'd love to have been on.

Oh, I would have loved to have been on The Sopranos. Right. Like I would have loved to have been just a bad to the bone Italian or Afghan kind of gangster mama who like ran like just dripping in diamonds. I could see that. Yeah, just dripping in diamonds and like wearing.

Gangster mama that ran.

I just want to I just want to run it. I just want to run it. Like I want to I want to to run my own little gang. I love that. Thank you.

Get back to Toronto, carry on making Alfaz and we'll see you soon. Thank you.

Thanks.