Aasif Mandvi – Evil

By starrymag | January 30, 2020

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

Q) What are the recent projects that you have been busy working on?

 

A) Well, I have the podcast that I did for the Smithsonian, which is also out now. I went to the Smithsonian, specifically dealing with the American entertainment history. We did ten episodes where I got to walk around backstage in the attic and I got to pick ten items from American history. Then, we ended up having these really cool interesting conversations about them and why they were in the Smithsonian. And I also got to interview people who were associated with them. Then, I got to have a larger sociological and political cultural conversation around those objects. I spent the first of last year taken place incredibly interesting interviews and conversations with the podcast.

 

Q) How did come up with the concept for the podcast Lost at the Smithsonian with Aasif Mandvi and get involved with the Smithsonian?

 

A) I didn’t come up with a concept for the podcast. They came to me actually and asked if I would be interested in doing this. The caveat was and you could pick whatever objects you want and I thought that was pretty interesting and kind of fun. They sort of gave me carte blanche as we walked around for a couple of weeks behind the scenes of the American History Museum. We went to the storage area and just walked around with the curators opening drawers and cupboards and just finding objects. I found in that process ten objects that I thought I really wanted to talk about. It came very personal for me because one of the objects in the American History Museum. We went to the storage area and just walked around with the curators opening drawers and cupboards and just finding objects. I found in that process ten objects that I thought I really wanted to talk about. It came very personal for me because one of the objects is Fonzie’s jacket. As a little kid in the 1970s I watched “Happy Days” in England. I was this little brown Indian kid watching this show and The Fonz (Henry Winkler) sort of became my avatar in a way. I dreamt of being The Fonz and having that machismo and confidence and all that stuff. It was exciting for me to see the jacket, but also, I got to interview Henry Winkler and talk about the impact it had on the culture at the time and also think of who The Fonz would be today. Examining each kinds of things, much more sexism and misogyny of the characters, that were in movies and on television at the time and what would that look like today and who are The Fonz be. And how did he feel about being this sex symbol when he was this little nerdy Jewish kid. I kind of related to the fact that he was this nerdy Jewish kid and I was this nerdy little Indian kid watching him. He got to play this almost alter ego and where did that come from. We got into a really interesting conversation. A lot of the episodes are like that. It starts with a particular object and then we end up having a much more broad and nuanced conversation.

 

Q) What kind of feedback have you received so far to the podcasts?

 

A) The feedback has been great! As far as I know people who watch it are tweeting about it seem really interested in it. It’s funny because this sort of run the gambit. We do Fonzie’s jacket but we also do Mohammed Ali’s robe. So, you’ll have certain fans in particular like sports fans and music fans…One of the episodes is about Jose Feliciano and the guitar that he played at the 1968 World Series where we ended up getting a lot of flack for playing the national anthem in this way that was incredibly sexy and cool but no one had heard it that way before. He got all this backlash like he was being insulting to the national anthem and people stopped on his record. He was this long-haired Latin hippie guy, so I talk to him about how it was different or the same as what is happening right now with football players who are taking a knee and the Colin Kaepernick of it all. It went into a really interesting place. So, different people have different areas where they’re interested in. I’ve gotten different responses. Some peoples’ favorite episodes is that one and other people like The Fonzie episode or the Archie Bunker episode where we talk about racism and bigotry on television and how illuminating that stuff into a character like Archie who would that be today. I’ve gotten a myriad of responses on social media.

 

Q) We’re also seeing you on “Evil.” Was there something about the series or the role of Ben that drew you to it?

 

A) It was mostly just The Kings. I read the script and I was familiar with the Kings because I was a big fan of “The Good Fight and I watched the show. I loved their writing so I read this. Sometimes you’ll read a script or a pilot and you’re just like, “Okay. Well, this will be a paycheck.” But then sometimes you read something and go, “Oh, this is actually good.” Surprisingly, they are few and far between. I read it and I thought this was a really interesting world. It’s dealing with a very interesting issue and I like the character because he’s so different than me. He’s much handier than I am and he sort of the MacGyver type of character. He’s kind of a contractor and a construction worker but also a tech whiz. He can sort of fix anything or figure out stuff. So, he was intriguing to me because I haven’t gotten to play characters like that much and he seemed so different than me. I was fascinated to get into his head and he also doesn’t believe in any of this paranormal demonic possession or religious stuff or anything. He’s a complete purist and a scientist and then everything goes back to the truth and what he thinks is factually true. And that is what I found fascinating. I grew up in a family where we believe in things that were outside of what our understanding is. So, to have someone so fact based in so much of a pure scientist was interesting for me to step into.

 

Q) Was there anything you added to the role that wasn’t in his initial breakdown?

 

A) Well, in his initial breakdown he was not a brown guy who came from a Muslim family. Once the Kings decided to cast me or to make him not a white guy, they gave him the background that he actually comes, like me, from Muslim family. He has rejected all of that religious faith that he was probably brought up with. Intriguing to me that Robert [King] and Michelle [King] both wanted him to be that. On the show you see that his sister is much more traditional than he is. She wears a hijab and they allude to the fact that his father prays a lot. So clearly having a character come from a Muslim family in this world and on a show like this and having him rejected that and sort of grounded his faith in science is interesting. It’s an interesting story and character that evolved because I got involved in it.

 

Q) What have been some of your favorite scenes to film for the series?

 

A) Ben has had some interesting stuff to do. Seeing his sister (Sohina Sidhu) was really cool for me because I got to explore that side of him – that familial side with his sibling. The stuff when Ben and dating Vanessa (Nicole Shalhoub) and discovers that this girl that he likes has a ghost grafted to the side of her body that follows her around. I think Ben has had his certainty and his absolute believe in all things factual our bumped up against things that he can’t explain or things he has difficulty dealing with. With Vanessa, he likes this girl and they have an emotional connection and suddenly she tells him this thing. So. his rational and scientific side of his brain is going, “This is completely insane! I totally reject that, but I really like her so how do I fit this into my world?” That’s fun to play – when you get the cerebral side of him and the much more left brain side of him comes up against the emotional stuff.

 

Q) What do you think it is about the show “Evil” that has made it a fast fan favorite?

 

A) I don’t know if I can answer that. I’m glad that people really like it and I really responding to it. All I can say is that I think that part of it is that the Kings have not written the show as a typical “horror show.” It could have just turned into like the exorcism of the week or the demon of the week. But it is much more psychological than that. It’s dealing with much more nuances in terms of what is evil. It examines this idea of what is evil in our world and some of the episode don’t necessarily have to deal with a demonic thing. To deal with a person who is doing bad things in the world and why do people do things that are bad and is there even such a thing as doing bad or good. I think that philosophical question and that larger sort of examination makes it a much more complex show then if it was just there is a demon in the closet.

 

Q) Is there any chance to see you on “Blue Bloods” again soon?

 

A) I don’t think so right now, no. With my “Evil” schedule I haven’t been able to. But who knows. They may call me at any minute. [laughs]

 

Q) We absolutely loved you on “The Daily Show.” What did you personally take away from your time working on the show?

 

A) “The Daily Show” was such a significant part of my life. I was on that show for almost ten years and I got to work with some of the funniest and smartest on television. I just learned a lot while I was on that show. It wasn’t a show that I ever thought that I was going to be on. It was never a show that I was aspiring to be on but it happened and I’m glad that it happened. I feel like it actually made me a better writer and comedian. Ultimately, it made me just a better story teller. I got to work with such great talents but that’s one of the things that I’ve found…The best thing about this business in some ways is sometimes you get to work it’s really talented people and they teach you a lot – much like working with the Kings in terms of storytelling structure with a one-hour drama. Working with people like Jon Stewart and stuff like that. I’ve gone to work with great people over the years and I’m really thankful because I think it’s helped me become a better artist.

 

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who are fans and supporters of you and your work?

 

A) I would like to say thank you and stick around. [chuckles] There’s more to come.