Interviews / Movies / TV

Alexandra Doke Lights Up the Screen in “City on Fire” and “He Went That Way”

Alexandra Doke Lights Up the Screen in “City on Fire” and “He Went That Way”
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2023 is Alexandra Doke’s time to shine. “It’s a dream come true,” she gushes. “I’ve been so fortunate to get to work on such compelling projects, and I’m so excited for everyone to get to see them!” She learns something new from each character she embodies. “I feel that there is something to learn from every character I have the opportunity to bring to life. There really is something special about stepping into the shoes (or cowboy boots) of someone else. Particularly for Sewer Girl in City on Fire, being able to delve into someone like her who is living such an untethered existence so contentedly and boldly, has taught me to bring a little of that carefree, confident attitude into my own life.” The aforementioned series chronicles a murder that rocks a campus. “City on Fire is a thrilling crime drama, based on the novel by Garth Risk Hallberg, about an NYU student who gets shot in Central Park on the 4th of July in 2003. While detectives investigate her case, they discover she’s connected to a high-society real estate family on the Upper East Side, as well as an underground punk rock crew.” Our preoccupation with violent crime is rooted in survival instinct, Alexandra muses. “I think a lot of the fascination with murder cases actually comes from our desire to make ourselves feel safe. There is a part of us that thinks if we can understand each particular case or at least why the person was victimized, we will be able to avoid the same fate ourselves.  The who-dunnit aspect is also intriguing to many people which I think stems from our fascination with solving all kinds of puzzles. We like the satisfaction of being able to follow the clues and discover the outcome and trying to do so before the answer is revealed.”

Her character has a purity of being perhaps contradicted by her name.”Sewer Girl is an eclectic ray of sunshine in Nicky’s Crew. Nicky definitely runs the place, but Sewer Girl brings heart to the group. She is happy to oblige Nicky in his missions. She goes with the flow and enjoys the exciting adventures even though she is sometimes unsure of the meaning behind them.” Alexandra can also be seen in He Went That Way, opposite Zachary Quinto and Jacob Elordi. “He Went That Way was such a blast to work on!  My character, Whitney, is in high school with her twin sister Amy. Whitney is the more adventurous of the twins and is excited to meet Jim (Zachary Quinto), a celebrity animal trainer and his chimpanzee, Spanky as well as their newly acquired friend, Bobby (Jacob Elordi). I convince my more stern sister to get to know the trio a bit better.” She was beyond excited about her co-stars. “It was so thrilling for me. I have been a huge fan of both of their work for a long time, and it was such a great learning experience as an actor seeing their process. They were both so kind and welcoming on set, and it was an honor to get to work with them.” The film will be premiering at the Tribeca Film Festival, representing a full circle moment for Alexandra. “It’s so surreal! I was fortunate to have been in a film back in 2012 called The Playroom that also had its premiere at Tribeca, so I’m super excited to get to go back and experience it again, almost exactly a decade later.” Her professional path forward is clear. “I really hope to get a Season 2 of City on Fire because I think we have a lot more of our story to tell. I would like to do more feature films as well – I’m obsessed with a lot of A24 and Searchlight productions, and doing something very character driven would be thrilling too whether a film or limited series. Longer term, I would love to write and produce a project of my own someday.” With momentum like hers, anything is possible! City on Fire is now streaming on Apple TV+.

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Alexandra Doke Lights Up the Screen in “City on Fire” and “He Went That Way.” Photo Credit: Courtesy of Alexandra Doke. Hair: Dina DiPietro @dinadipietro. Makeup: Danii @facesbydanii. Styling: Jordan Shilee @jordanshilee.