The Apple TV dramedy Your Friends & Neighbors, starring and executive produced by Jon Hamm, returned with a second season on April 3 – and its third season has already been renewed.
Hamm portrays Andrew “Coop” Cooper, a divorced former hedge fund manager who starts stealing from his wealthy neighbours to maintain his lavish lifestyle after getting fired from his job. The show’s second season sees the return of its original cast – including actress Lena Hall, who stars as Coop’s younger sister, Ali Cooper.
Lena Hall stars as Ali in Your Friends & Neighbors. Photo: @lenarockerhall/InstagramIn the show, Ali, a free-spirited singer-songwriter, struggles with mental health issues and relies heavily on her older brother. The new season seems to promise growth for Hall’s character as Ali takes on a teaching role at a private school, allowing her to find her footing and navigate independence.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Your Friends & Neighbors star, Lena Hall.
Lena Hall comes from a family of performers
Lena Hall is a multi-hyphenate. Photo: @lenarockerhall/Instagram
Celina Consuela Gabriella Carvajal, known professionally as Lena Hall, was born in January 1980, in San Francisco to a family of performers. Her father ran a ballet company and her mother was a prima ballerina, according to Theatre Audience Podcast.
Following in her mother’s footsteps, Hall began dancing as early as two years old and was training to become a prima ballerina herself. By age 12, she was dealing with burnout and body image issues and tried to quit, but continued to train upon her parents’ insistence.
It was only after watching her sister, who had joined a teen musical theatre company, perform in a production of 42nd Street, that Hall decided she wanted to do theatre.
Her theatre career started in Cats