Interview: Lena Hall on Finding Herself in Apple TV+'s Your Friends and Neighbors

Lena Hall has never been one to follow a predictable path. From her Tony-winning turn in Hedwig and the Angry Inch to her genre-hopping music projects and a wild arc in Snowpiercer, Hall has made a career out of transformation. But in Apple TV+’s new dark comedy Your Friends and Neighbors, she found something unexpectedly familiar: a character who felt, as she puts it, “just like me on paper.”

Created by Jonathan Tropper (Banshee, Warrior), the series stars Jon Hamm as Andrew Cooper, an unemployed hedge-fund manager who resorts to crime, and Hall as his younger sister, Ali. Set in a sharply observed, morally murky world, the show blends humor with grounded emotion—and gives Hall room to flex both her dramatic and musical instincts.

In our conversation, Hall reflects on finding her footing with Hamm, shaping the show’s musical landscape, and why acting—despite her long list of musical-theater credits—still feels like the craft she’s learning in real time.

This conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity.

What interested you in this role?
I remember reading the scenes and being like “Oh, this is just me on paper. There’s no way I’ll book it.” Right? Actor sees a role and they’re like “Oh, it’s me” and then ends up never booking it. So, I forgot about it, and then I got the callback and did a chemistry test with Jon, and then I got it. It was a very out of the blue thing because I was not on a roll. I was on a roll with not booking things. I was kind of expecting to never book anything ever again.

Had you ever met Jon Hamm before? What’s he like?
I had met him maybe once or twice during Hedwig, I’m pretty sure either backstage or at some event. I’d never had a conversation with him.

At this point, he feels like my older brother, which is what the role was anyway. It was important to feel that protection from him because the character protects her under every circumstance, and they have so much love for each other. She can be very straightforward with him, and I felt that with him. He’s very professional, he’s fun to work with, and he will also improv off the script after the scene is done and keep it flowing. He put me at ease, because when I came into this, I was terrified.

Did you have much input in the musical aspects of your character?
[Creator] Jonathan Tropper always came to me with music ideas. There was one point where they were like “Do you have any original songs?” So, they chose one of mine. But Tropper really had the soundtrack going in his head. I gave him some suggestions. Every once in a while, I’d bring up an artist that would be cool for the vibe, but at the end of the day, it was his decision.

I did so many songs in the first season that we’re releasing an EP. I recorded them all with my producer, Justin Craig, and it’s going to be like one of the Obsessed albums that I did, so people can listen to them after they hear them. On Snowpiercer, people were like “Where’s that song?” They couldn’t find it anywhere. It was only on the show. So we learned from that.

How does this experience compare to Snowpiercer, which I know is probably comparing like apples and onions?
Yeah, totally. It’s vastly different. Snowpiercer was filmed in Vancouver, and it’s a different vibe over there. It was much more relaxed. This we filmed in New York, and in New York, it’s like “We gotta get through this entire episode today.”

Character-wise, in Snowpiercer, I was wearing like 22-inch corsets, wigs, makeup. Any makeup they were going to put on anyone else, they put it on my face. The dresses were cinched within an inch of their life. I wore high heels. I was uncomfortable, but I did it because I knew it was made for me for my character. I was like “I don’t care; I’ll wear this corset for 15 hours.” Whereas with this one, it was like “Sweatpants? Great!” Ten minutes in the makeup chair. This was a dream.

Post-Hedwig, you’ve sort of leaned into dramatic roles instead of musical-theater. What has that transition been like for you?
In hindsight, it seems that my life is in cycles, which is interesting. When I was younger, I was a dancer. I was into ballet, and I was in Cats. Dance was the focus. That was the thing I was good at and getting cast for. Things shifted, and it all became about singing. Everything was focused around developing my authentic voice. And then it switched again after Hedwig and I found my way to acting.

It’s been in these three different modes, and right now, it’s all acting. Whatever the universe sends my way, it’s all supportive of this acting craft, which I’m enjoying very much. It is a challenge for me, because I’m so comfortable with dance and so comfortable with my voice, and to showcase the acting side is terrifying. I’m still figuring out my confidence in that.

I see this as the talent that I’m needing to work on most at this point, and the universe is supporting that.