Cape Coral actress turns autism into her strength

CAPE CORAL, Fla. —

When you first meet 28-year-old actress Tal Anderson, you can't help but notice her bright smile.

Growing up in Cape Coral, Tal found her voice through improv classes. Performing became a way to navigate the challenges of autism.

"My first experience with theater was taking classes at Florida Rep," said Tal. "At this point, I had already started to get hooked on acting, and I knew that it was something that I wanted to keep doing."

She later moved to Los Angeles, where she got her big break on the Netflix series "Atypical," about a teenager with autism navigating relationships at home and at school.

"'Atypical' sort of set the standard for me of how a set should feel," said Tal.

Most recently, Tal appears in a recurring role on the HBO Max series, "The Pitt."

"I love that this show is giving a voice to people like my character, Becca, and myself, as an autistic woman, to talk about issues that challenge our community," said Tal.

Although she's made it in Hollywood and her career is progressing fast, Tal hasn't forgotten where she started, and she's not letting anything stop her.

"What you accomplish is up to you, and if you follow your passion and work hard, any goal you set for yourself, as long as it's reasonable and you have a strong support system, it's possible," said Tal.

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