DEADLINE: What did you learn about yourself from working on Just for Us?
ALEXEDELMAN: I think first of all, I learned as an artist that I prefer ambiguity.
I like to ask questions rather than pose answers, for some reason.
Alex Edelman in ‘Just For Us’HBO
DEADLINE: How is your life different now than it was when the journey with this show began?
EDELMAN: I mean, Im Jewish now.
Oh God, whats changed?
I mean, look so much.
DEADLINE: Youre saying you got bar mitzvahed with the show?
But yes, I got circumcised on the show every night, which is why it had to end.
Because I only had so much left.
No, no, Im joking, obviously.
But honestly, Ill say this.
So, I think I grew as an artist and a writer, besides just as a person.
Whos to say whats more important?
DEADLINE: Could you talk about the shows title and what it means to you?
Ive always liked the ambiguity of the title…within the context of a conversation about assimilation or whiteness.
And I think the questions about whatJust for Usmight mean is an extension of that.
DEADLINE: Brace was clearly very important to you.
What did be bring to your work and life?
Then, it [became] a catechism, a dialogue with this guy whos no longer here.
They came over for the opening of the show on Broadway.
Have there been any bonuses to having that education that you didnt expect?
EDELMAN: Oh yeah, its fantastic, genuinely.
I only know a few words of sign language.
But its given me a crazy appreciation for how interesting and funny the language is.
My favorite [expression in sign language] is Thank you.
Its weirdly a gesture that feels very intimate, in a way that Thank you in English doesnt quite.
DEADLINE: You also reference Jared Kushner in the show, as someone youve seen at synagogue, whosveryloud.
Any good anecdotes there?
I see him sometimes.
I think they live in Miami now; I dont think theyre in New York as much anymore.
But Ill say this.
I hear that he knows of the joke, is what Im told.
I dont know if Im going to expect a tweeted endorsement from Ivanka [Trump] anytime soon.
But when Ivanka started to convert, she was in synagogue.
But he liked it, it seemed.
Because the two things arent always the same thing, right?
How do you square those two things?
Stephen always quotes someone as saying, Angels fly because they take themselves lightly.
There can be a really charged element to trying to understand the other side.
And Hitchens says, brilliantly…Im misquoting here, Im sure.
Because Hannity, of course, didnt understand wherever Hitchens was coming from.
All of those things.
Thousands of prominent figures in the arts and elsewhere have publiclydenounced it, with thousands more todaytaking his side.
Generally speaking, how do we open a dialogue on topics this sensitive thats constructive?
Third rails are inherently interesting, right?
Notinteresting, but a moreinterestedconversation, in terms of why were reacting to this the way we are.
What questions does it raise?
What opinions does it change?
Because any answer to those questions is pretty fascinating.
I have a lot of friends who feel very strongly about it on different sides of the issue.
When it comes to Israel and Palestine right now, I become very much a listener.
As soon as October 7th happened, I was like, Oh, this is going to be nightmarish.
This is just going to be a freaking disaster, and I think it has been.
I dont think its controversial to say that its just been a wrenching experience.
But again, talk about strongly felt opinions loosely held.
I go back and forth.
Really tough, fascinating thing.
So, I dont know.
But Ive seen people that I love and respect on both of those letters.
So, hard to square that.
What can you tell us about your broader ambitions in film and TV?
EDELMAN: I want to act more.
I had so much fun on Seinfelds movie, doing a little bit inUnfrosted.
It was such a blast.
I have some writing stuff for television that Im psyched about.
Im writing sitcoms and fielding some thoughts and offers for various new work.
So, like everybody else, I just want to do fun and interesting and fulfilling stuff.
What a revolutionary thing to say.
