Alanna Ubach Opens Up About Being on 3 Hit Shows and What She Thinks of the“ Legally Blonde” Prequel Series “Elle” (Exclusive)

Meredith WilshereSat, June 27, 2026 at 5:48 PM UTC

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Alanna Eubach in 2026Credit: Rodin Eckenroth/Getty -

Actress Alanna Ubach reflects on her versatile career, comparing it to an "Easter egg hunt" of diverse roles

She praises working with directors like Seth MacFarlane on Ted and Sam Levinson on Euphoria and the family-like dynamics on set

Ubach is excited for the Legally Blonde prequel series, Elle, and hopes to continue acting for the rest of her life

Alanna Ubach has played more characters than she can count these days — in just the past year, she's appeared in Euphoria, Hacks, Ted and The Last of Us.

Switching between all of her roles, from comedies to dramas, Eubach, 50, she says is "like a mother juggling four kids at one time, and it's doable, but it's a challenge, to say the least."

Her saving grace, she says, is "the cast, the crew, they're just lovely. And the directors, if you're having a great groove with the directors, it's super important. Working with Seth McFarlane [on Ted] and Sam Levinson [on Euphoria] is just an actor's dream," Eubach says.

Ubach, who has a slew of hit iconic movies under her belt, including titles like, Sister Act 2,Coco and Legally Blonde, recently caught up with PEOPLE to talk about the busy moment her career is having — and what's next.

The actress, who appeared in Euphoria since season 1 as Suze Howard, the mom of Lexi [Maude Apatow] and Cassie [Sydney Sweeney], says when she read the script for the latest season of the HBO hit, she had "absolutely no idea what was about to happen."

Alanna Ubach in 'Euphoria'Credit: Eddy Chen/HBO

"We were only given the scenes that we're in, so I didn't know what was going to happen. I tried to put pieces together when I found out that Jacob had to meet one of the wranglers of the rattlesnake," Ubach shares.

Another big HBO series that featured Ubach was Hacks, which she joinedfor its final season. She reunited with Jean Smart, whom she worked with on The Girlfriend's Guide to Divorce in 2014.

"She swooped in and saved the day when Carrie Fisher decided that she no longer wanted to work on Girlfriends' Guide, and so they immediately wrote a new character, named Katherine, who was going to be managing Lisa Edelstein's character," Eubach says of the Bravo show. "Jean Smart was hired that day, flew up to Canada, and just killed it. She walked in and saved us because we didn't know what we were going to do without that character."

When they reunited years later on Hacks, Ubach's character was a barrier for Smart's Deborah Vance booking a show at Madison Square Garden.

"She's just phenomenal. It's amazing to see this woman, who has been such a treasure for so many years, win this role that seems tailor-made for her. It's such a moment for her right now, and I'm so excited for her," Eubach says of Smart.

Alanna Ubach in 'Hacks'Credit: Courtesy of HBO Max

Working with the cast of Hacks, Eubach says, was like "being invited over for a family dinner."

"They are a family through and through. Clearly, they've been spending 12 hours a day, Monday through Friday, together. They can basically finish each other's sentences. They truly are one big family, from the director and the writers to Jean," Ubach says. "They're brothers and sisters. They're all joined at the hip, and it was so exciting to be working with them because you're joining a jazz group, and playing with them is playing jazz. They're the greats."

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The same family dynamic was present on the set of Ted, where Ubach plays the matriarch, Susan Bennett.

The first scene the cast filmed together was one where they were all at dinner, and she shares that "we were shocked at how easily we fed off of each other, as if we had been working on a show for seven years. That was a blessing, to say the least."

Her character, Susan, was inspired by a nun at her elementary school, Sister Mary. "I was 8 years old, and I could not believe how ethereal this woman was. She almost floated. And nothing phased her, whether it was breaking up a couple of bullies in the playground fighting, 'Now, that's not very Christ-like, is it?' She never lost her cool. And to me, I thought, oh, it's because she has a higher calling. Everything is God's way."

She thought, if she applied the logic to her character Susan, then "everything would be justified."

"In the midst of chaos, she's as cool as a cucumber," Ubach says. "She's also based on a dear aunt of Seth's, whom he grew up with. In fact, he showed me pictures of her and said he remembered, growing up, how even-keeled she was and how sweet, innocent and naive she seemed. I think she needed the imbalance to feel balanced. She was the yin to the yang as the family dynamic was concerned."

Alanna Eubach as Susan in 'Ted'Credit: Trae Patton/PEACOCK via Getty

Ubach says it is so much fun to be known for a wide range of roles. "When I was a kid, I wanted to be an Easter egg hunt."

She remembers telling her manager: "'Wouldn't it be wonderful if my career were an Easter egg hunt?' 'Oh, wait a second. She played that person and that person? I didn't know that. I didn't recognize her.' Cut to many, many years later, and here I am enjoying everything, enjoying this Easter egg career," Ubach shares.

As for what's next, she hopes she's "lucky enough to be given something written by a fantastic writer."

"To me, these characters that I've played have been just created by such brilliant writers and showrunners that I'm just happy to have a career and hopefully to be working until the day I die," Ubach shares.

When asked whether we'll see more of one of her most beloved characters, Elle Woods' best friend Serena in the Legally Blonde franchise, she says she doesn't know much about Legally Blonde 3. "I'm usually the last to know," but if that does happen, "I'm there," she says.

But in the meantime, she "can't wait to watch" Elle, the new prequel series. "I think that's so clever. I love a prequel. I really do. Young Sheldon, my son, and I watch that all the time. And the prequels are really fun. I'm excited to watch it. I really am."

Hacks and Euphoria are available to stream on HBO. Ted is available to stream on Peacock.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”