CBS' "United States of Al" Salutes Veterans and Those Who Help Them

The criticism came fast and furious How dare an American sitcom cast an actor who is not an Afghan to play one Much of this criticism incidentally came before anyone actually watched CBS39 United States of Al The fulcrum of this fury Adhir Kalyan pictured at top a South African of Indian descent calmly addresses the reaction to his role in the Chuck Lorre sitcom Like Mom another Lorre comedy on CBS that just ended its eightyear run Al tackles complex painful subjects but does so with great humor and humanityFor those who have not yet tuned in this Thursday evening show has a familiar trope a fish out of water adjusting to a new life Its undercurrent however prompts viewers to think not just smile This honors the sacrifices of American veterans and reminds us that when soldiers return home it39s often complicated to resume their old lives The other group of people United States of Al shines a light on are the Afghan interpreters They helped Americans and as this country withdraws forces the Afghans who served with Americans are left exposed and endangeredKalyan39s character Al was an interpreter for a Marine in Afghanistan That Marine Riley Parker Young above right is back home in Ohio struggling to reacclimate to civilian life He39s lucky his dad Art also a vet and played by the always reliable Dean Norris has welcomed Riley home offered him a job and extends the same to AlquotHe is of great integrityquot Kalyan said when describing his character to MediaVillage quotOut of respect for his own family and those he comes into contact with he endeavors to do the right thing even if that means ruffling some feathers along the wayquotAt Al39s core is a man who was in a desperate situation because of fealty to the United States He helped the Marines working as a translator and by doing so put himself and his family in grave danger The show tackles this topic and in a recent PSA urged viewers to go to NoOneLeftorg and learn about the nonprofit formed eight years ago It works to secure permanent visas for Afghan men and women who remain in hiding explained organization spokesman James Miervaldis an Army vet who served in Afghanistan and IraqquotThey are the eyes and earsquot for our forces he said about interpreters quotThey know the culture They are the bridges between our culture and the local populace The Department of Defense has billions of dollars but it is these personal connectionsquot that help so muchquotA big thing over there is an honor codequot Miervaldis continued quotThey are incredibly important and always sought by the government They are targeted because they helped Americans We get a lot of panicked emails We get pictures of beheadings of translators who helped Americans ISIS or the Taliban wants to send a message 39You picked the wrong side39 It is a very real threat It is not a joke This is not a drillquotAs serious as the issue is United States of Al handles issues involving cultural differences with gags Al is surprised to learn that garbage cans here have wheels and that American children don39t abide by their parents with what he perceives as the unquestioning obedience of Afghan childrenKalyan did not take it personally when he took heat onlinequotI have always felt it is most important to listen first and to listen to what people are really sayingquot said the new dad quotAnd to me what I heard loudest was people being scared about being misrepresented about being portrayed in a stereotypical way about this character simply being a bobblehead sort where the character being Afghan was the joke When you sift through the noise people are just hurting and don39t want to be hurt further I understand that One of the reasons I left South Africa and went abroad was because I did not want my entire career to be playing South African Indian characters I always try to imbue the character with the most authenticity and approach it with empathy and respectquotNot since I left South Africa have I played a South African Indian characterquot he continued quotAll have been of neighboring ethnic backgrounds and because of that this was not new to me Often times I am left to my own devices to navigate the character With this I have four Afghans in the writers39 room who were able to help me shape the voice of the character what the characters sound like and the framework and to get a better understanding of who this character wasquotKalyan was speaking a few days before the show was renewed for a sophomore season For him this sitcom is far more profound than wearing a hipin1974 maroon blazer and vest while singing quotIt39s Not Unusualquot a funny bit he performed in a recent episode He appreciates what the show aims to accomplishquotThis show means so much to everyone involved in itquot Kalyan explained quotNot just the vets on staff and military consultants This really does feel like a dream job all the way through to the crew You would not think it about a multicam sitcom but every single detail it has created has this very special feeling on set If we were not to come back it would be a very difficult because of the real sense of kinship we have on set As an actor your hope is always to be part of something that challenges you and glean great joy from that It inspires you to be better and also leaves the audience not only entertained but with something to think about and for all of us this embodies every single one of these thingsquotUnited States of Al is telecast Thursdays at 830 pm on CBSClick the social buttons above or below to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers

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CBS' "United States of Al" Salutes Veterans and Those Who Help Them

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Jacqueline Cutler

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CBS' "United States of Al" Salutes Veterans and Those Who Help Them

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