Alford appeared in three productions with Birmingham's Town and Gown Civic Theatre, whose director called up Alford's mother to see if her son was interested in auditioning for the part of Jem in To Kill a Mockingbird.[1] Initially Alford had refused, but agreed to audition under the condition that he would miss half a day of school.[1] As one of the three finalists, he was called to New York City for a screen test several weeks later[1] and won the role of Jem Finch.
During the filming, his pare