Aisha Alfa’s co-starring role as Carolyn on Peacock’s true-crime spoof “Based On a True Story” strikes a private chord with the actress/comedian.
“I used to be fascinated with true crime after I was a youngster,” Alfa, 43, told The Post. “I’m occupied with people and the way in which they live their lives, so when something is outside of the norm it’s fascinating to me.
“I’ve watched documentaries on different serial killers and now I even have two young kids and as soon as I got pregnant it was like I used to be allergic to it,” she said. “I can’t take into consideration these items and it makes me freak out.
“I actually wanted to look at ‘Dahmer’ on Netflix when it got here out but I used to be like, ‘I can’t. My brain will go crazy with worrying.”
“Based On a True Story” stars Kaley Cuoco and Chris Messina as Ava and Nathan Bartlett.
They’re experiencing a low point of their marriage as they’re expecting their first child — he’s a fading tennis pro reliving the past, she’s an actual estate agent bored together with her job — after they discover that their friendly plumber, Matt Pierce (Tom Bateman), can also be the West Side Ripper, an infamous serial killer terrorizing LA.
Ava, a true-crime buff who joins her friends (including Carolyn) in afternoon soirees built across the genre, comes up with a can’t miss moneymaking plan: to provide a trailblazing podcast during which Matt, disguising his voice, will detail his grisly crimes … and promise Ava and Nathan that he’ll stop killing.
What could possibly go flawed?
Series co-stars include Liana Liberato, Priscilla Quintana, Natalia Dyer (from “Stranger Things”) and Annabelle Dexter-Jones.
Alfa said she knew Carolyn suited her in several ways once she read an outline of the character before shooting began.
“The way in which I remember it, she’s in her 40s, she’s successful, sassy and open — and likewise, at times, she looks at [online real estate site] Zillow for housing in numerous cities when her husband isn’t looking,” she said. “I just loved that. I’m in my 40s and doing well, I really like my husband [Josh Green] and I even have kids but I imagine what life can be like if I could just take off to Paris without having to pack for my kids and never worry about food because my husband doesn’t eat beef.
“I even have these weird fantasies although I really like my life.”
And what a life it’s been. Born in Nigeria, Alfa grew up in Canada (Winnipeg) and has lived in France and in South Korea — where she played skilled soccer before moving into dramatic acting and standup comedy.
“I played soccer in Canada on the University of Alberta,” she said. “We won nationals once and got silver twice, and from there I played within the World University Games in Korea, after which I played for 2 seasons for the Ottawa Fury within the [all-female] USL-W League, which doesn’t exist anymore.
“Then I went to Korea and played in the lads’s league,” she said. “I used to be the one woman who ever played in that league and I brought over one in every of my good friends from the university to come back play on a rival team to realize more awareness that ladies can play [soccer].
“Now I don’t play in any respect,” she said. “I kick about with my kids but that’s it. No one wants me to educate a child’s team — my brain is way too competitive.”
Alfa released her debut comedy album, “All of the Parts,” in 2000, played the Just For Laughs comedy festival, produced the YouTube interview series “Plus One,” launched her own podcast, “The Shout Out Show,” and has appeared in “Good Trouble,” “Sorry for Your Loss” and played Ms. Grell within the Canadian series “Degrassi: Next Class.”
She’s currently producing and headlining monthly comedy shows called “Toasted” at The Hotel Cafe in LA.
“It’s something to get us out of our comfort zones,” she said. “For our next show we’ve got some musicians and song parodies.
“It’s a lot fun to provide and create something and be involved locally — and it’s a fantastic solution to showcase ourselves and what we will do inside that box of comedy.”
