Finding the Family: Daphne Wheeler and Alijah Roberson on Performance, Improvisation, and The Switch

In Episode 3 of The Switch Podcast, host Chase Savage sits down with actors Daphne Wheeler and Elijah Roberson to talk about their roles as Daughter #1 and the birthday boy in The Switch. The conversation explores their acting backgrounds, the transition from theater to film, and the unique creative freedom they found in a script built around emotional stakes rather than rigid line delivery. Both reflect on how improvisation helped shape the family dynamic on screen, allowing scenes around the dinner table to feel natural, lived-in, and emotionally grounded.The episode also expands beyond performance to the larger purpose behind the film. Wheeler and Roberson discuss the collaborative energy on set, the focus of the student crew, and the realism at the heart of The Switch as a story rooted in financial hardship, utility shutoffs, and family struggle. Roberson connects the film’s themes to his own lived experience, while both guests speak to Tommy J. Housman’s passion for storytelling, mentorship, and creating meaningful artistic opportunities for students. Together, the episode becomes a conversation not only about acting, but about why this project matters.