'The Pitt' star Tal Anderson praises on-screen sister Taylor Dearden

NEW YORK – Tal Anderson, an actress on the hit HBO Max show "The Pitt," can relate to her character in more than one way. Anderson plays Dr. Melissa "Mel" King's (Taylor Dearden) twin sister Becca, who is autistic. In real life, she was diagnosed with autism at 4 years old.

But is Anderson, like Becca, a fan of the holiday classic "Elf" starring Will Ferrell?

"I mean, who isn't?" Anderson, 28, says during an interview with USA TODAY. "I watch it during the Christmas time."

On "The Pitt," Becca watches the film year-round (Season 2 is set over the July Fourth weekend). And in the Season 2 finale, she reveals to Mel, a neurodivergent resident at the hospital, that she's watching it at her boyfriend's house and his parents aren't home. Mel cares for her sister while dealing with the complexities of the ER.

In yet another similarity between fiction and real life, there is a lot of admiration between Anderson and Dearden.

"I practice at home and try to connect with Becca, with the who, what, when, where and why," Anderson says. "But on set, Taylor usually reads through the scene with me before rehearsal with the director, which is really helpful. She's an amazing person to work with."

Anderson says the reaction to the series and the characters of Becca and Mel has been "amazing."

"Playing Becca in particular though has been such an honor," she says. "We've never seen representation like this on screen before. We also have never seen the neurodivergence we see on 'The Pitt' through Mel and Becca. So it's been an honor to tell that story."

Tal Anderson authors a new children's book

In addition to acting on "The Pitt" and Netflix's "Atypical," Anderson has authored two children's books. "Oh, Tal! Not Like That" (out now, Violet Sky Media) is the follow-up to 2024's "Oh, Tal! Not Today." Illustrated by Michael Richey White, the book follows Tal and her cat Winnie as they go to school and interact with teachers and classmates.

The characters are inspired by Anderson and her real-life pet Norwegian Forest cat, Winifred.

"I taught her how to play fetch and play soccer," Anderson says. "She's a really good goalie. What I like about her is that we walk around the house and we talk. And yes, I understand her very clearly. So yeah, I really love Winnie. She's like my child."

Like Anderson, White is also autistic. The duo hopes that the book series will encourage young kids "to express themselves creatively and to think differently."

"We realized we had a lot of lived experiences in common as creative, autistic people," Anderson says of White. "And a lot of the things that stuck with us happened when we were young kids. I know that there are kids out there who felt the same way Michael and I did as kids. And I think it's important to see someone, a character in a book, that kids can relate to."