It’s Autism Acceptance Month — a great time to learn about actor Tal Anderson, who plays Becca King on the Emmy Award-winning HBO drama “The Pitt.”
While this isn’t King’s first role in a popular TV show — in 2019 Anderson played Sydney, a college student with autism in “Atypical” — her role in “The Pitt” establishes her as a well-known actor who is also on the autism spectrum.
In “The Pitt”, Anderson plays Becca King, the sister of Dr. Mel King (Taylor Reardon), a young emergency department physician. While the show does not explicitly identify Dr. King as neurodivergent, some viewers have noted traits that read as “autistic or ADHD-coded.” Reardon herself has said she has ADHD, adding another layer of authenticity to the portrayal. Because neurodiversity often runs in families, this dynamic between the sisters makes their TV relationship even more realistic.
Becca lives in a supported housing facility and aside from the staff at the facility, Dr. King is Becca’s main caregiver. The two sisters are fiercely devoted to each other.
Anderson was born in New Orleans and grew up in Cape Coral, Florida. She graduated from Florida’s Full Sails University and then headed to L.A. to pursue an acting career. Though the actor is happy to play characters that are not on the spectrum, she welcomes the opportunity to play neurodiverse characters since she can bring her own experiences to bear on these roles.
Recently, Anderson told her hometown paper, the Cape Coral News Press “I like to play neurodivergent characters because I can portray their perspective — usually from a place of shared, lived experiences. But also, I want those characters to have the opportunity to be played authentically by a neurodivergent actor.”
Unfortunately, it is rare for disabled characters to be played by actors who themselves are disabled. According to “The State of Disability Representation on Television: An Analysis of Scripted TV Series From 2016 to 2023,” commissioned by the Ruderman Family Foundation in collaboration with the Geena Davis Institute, “nearly 80% of characters portrayed with disabilities in scripted TV series from 2016-2023 were played by able-bodied actors.”
Actors like Anderson are helping to change the status quo.
“It’s important, in my opinion — as an autistic person, myself — being able to see someone in media who you can relate to, who makes you feel seen yourself, like you belong,” she said to the News Press. “And, you know, not having that representation, especially for children, really has an effect on confidence and self-esteem.”
Added Anderson: “Representation alone, it’s important. But when it’s authentic — and the character’s point of view is more real and less stereotypical — it’s more powerful. It gives people something to relate to. And … if it’s written correctly, it also shows a perspective that maybe they haven’t seen before.”
In addition to her acting, Anderson is also the author of two children’s books with neurodivergent protagonists named Tal! Her first book “Oh Tal! Not Today” (Violet Sky Media) was published in 2024 and “Oh Tal! Not Like That,” (Violet Sky Media) will be released on April 15, 2026. The books are illustrated by Anderson’s friend Michael Richie White, a neurodiverse author and both books have the same important message: You do you! Not everyone thinks the same, and that’s OK. In fact, it’s more than OK, it’s something to celebrate — just like Autism Acceptance Month!
