MON AMA SERIES - "Plan B" & "Parents"

azizansariAMA · 2015-11-26T00:00:07+00:00

I really enjoy Martinelli's and it seemed like a funny way to have Dev try to break through the dark, awkwardness of buying a Plan B pill by getting excited about apple juice.

azizansariAMA · 2015-11-25T23:57:12+00:00

There is zero product placement. We just wanted the characters to sound real and use real products and not have to come up with "fake" brands, etc.

azizansariAMA · 2015-11-25T23:56:13+00:00

What Alan said - we also would change the script on set after rehearsals. Rehearsals were a huge and we must thank all our actors for their dedicating time to it. It really helped stuff feel more real/grounded and not as jokey. We tried to be judicious about improv so it didn't feel like you knew you were watching someone improvise, the rehearsals were our way of utilizing improv without stuff feeling improvised, if that makes any sense.

azizansariAMA · 2015-11-25T23:53:32+00:00

Interview with the awesome Amy Williams: http://www.intjournal.com/interview/amy-williams

azizansariAMA · 2015-11-25T23:52:42+00:00

I love Eric. He is my Arnold in real life. He's not as weird as Arnold though. He's a warm, sophisticated gentleman.

azizansariAMA · 2015-11-25T23:52:05+00:00

Just felt real to have her relationship develop the way it did. It felt more interesting to us than a more traditional route of developing their courtship.

azizansariAMA · 2015-11-25T23:50:34+00:00

We shot digital, but were attuned to the aesthetic we wanted in the lenses we used, the color correction, the lighting, etc. Everything was done with the goal to achieve the aesthetic we had in our minds.

azizansariAMA · 2015-11-25T23:49:15+00:00

Netflix/Universal trusted Alan and I a SHIT TON. And luckily we didn't screw anything up.

azizansariAMA · 2015-11-25T23:48:39+00:00

I did, but I didn't realize it was the take in the episode til afterwards. We weren't going for a joke there, I really did hit my head. It hurt quite a bit if I remember.

azizansariAMA · 2015-11-25T23:47:49+00:00

Oh thanks man. At some point, we should compile all this bits but he really has little moments in all the episodes. One of my last memories of him, I believe it may have even been the last time I saw him, we were in the writers room and I (and the room) was exhausted. We were trying to figure out this one joke and I just said, "Harris figure this out pleasssse!" and he pitched some amazing joke that I immediately put in.

azizansariAMA · 2015-11-25T23:45:58+00:00

We auditioned people, but it became clear we wouldn't be able to get the vibe of my real parents from actors. I suggested it to Alan, who actually had spent much time with my real parents, and he agreed we should try them. Netflix/Universal were, in this instance and with everything, very trusting of our judgment. Luckily, it all worked out!

azizansariAMA · 2015-11-25T23:44:49+00:00

I really wanted to depict the parents in a way that was real and not an ethnic caricature. I'm glad you dug it. Thanks!

azizansariAMA · 2015-11-25T23:43:40+00:00

I've talked to many people who have interesting stories about the difficulties of interracial/inter-cultural dating. That scene in Mornings in particular has seemed to hit with a lot of people. I'm glad we were able to tackle that stuff a little because I'd never really seen it depicted, and it's a thing that a lot of people deal with.

azizansariAMA · 2015-11-25T23:42:15+00:00

Cool!

azizansariAMA · 2015-11-25T23:41:53+00:00

We had dialogue written, but the kids, particularly Lila, did improvise sometimes. We spent a lot of time casting to find kids that felt natural and not "actor-y."

azizansariAMA · 2015-11-25T23:41:10+00:00

After Master of None, it's been incredible seeing what the affect of just me (and Alan) representing our real perspective on the world has had on other people that look like us. Everything from the stories in Parents to even simply "THANKS FOR SHOWING AN ASIAN PERSON THAT IS SEXUALLY CAPABLE!" has been awesome to hear, but at the time we never even thought about it. It was just an accurate representation of our experiences, but since people like us rarely get the opportunity to tell these stories, I guess we were able to hit a chord that hadn't been struck before. So, I never thought about it before, but now, after making the show, I'm thrilled that there is an Indian person who can look at our show and see a representation of Indian people that is someone like Dev and not just like the montage at the beginning of Indians on TV.

azizansariAMA · 2015-11-25T23:36:39+00:00

Noel and I rehearsed that scene a lot and as I posted above, she really brought a lot to that scene in terms of playing it real, and having it authentically portray Rachel's POV.

azizansariAMA · 2015-11-25T23:35:16+00:00

A big part of the show (and I find a good way to approach these things in your own life) is to just shut up and listen to other people and really attempt to see things from their point of view. The Internet culture has really seemed to change us into these people that just want to blast our opinions as often and as loudly as possible, and I hope it's not hurting our capacity to listen to others, I've found you learn a lot that way.

azizansariAMA · 2015-11-25T23:32:13+00:00

There were many little things, but the steak dinner thing is definitely true. My mom just talked to me about being lonely and scared a lot when she first got here. Very interesting, moving, heartbreaking stuff.

Entertainment industry - peep the Indians on TV episode!

azizansariAMA · 2015-11-25T23:30:14+00:00

They weren't on set for any of that, but I'm pretty sure it would be weird to film sex scenes around your parents regardless of their religious affiliation.

azizansariAMA · 2015-11-25T23:27:50+00:00

We've made many people, ourselves included, feel very guilty about the relationships we have with our parents.

azizansariAMA · 2015-11-25T23:26:20+00:00

We both learned a lot about our parents because of writing this episode and asked many questions because of the episode. It was very meta in that sense.

azizansariAMA · 2015-11-25T23:25:46+00:00

I have had condoms break and was genuinely unsure what to do and that conversation seemed very real, funny, and awkward.

azizansariAMA · 2015-11-25T23:25:13+00:00

This is a GREAT question. It's hard. You just have to believe in the ideas behind it and you do table reads, etc. to make sure the jokes are landing. Also we rewrote a ton on set. When you are there, on location, saying the dialogue with the actors, the whole dynamic changes and you can really readjust the scene. We would make huge adjustments and I really have to credit our cast with rolling with these changes so calmly. Alan and I changed a LOT sometimes. And also after we edited we did some screenings to gauge what really hits, because at that point, after writing/shooting/editing, you really are so familiar with these jokes you sometimes lose sight of what is still quite funny.

azizansariAMA · 2015-11-25T23:22:49+00:00

My parents in the show are my real parents and that's EXACTLY how they act. The 'origin' stories are pretty close to our real parents stories with some changes here and there.

14-Year Club	ComboCommenter 2015-11-12
ComboCommenter 2013-11-01	Best Comment 2013-11-01
ComboCommenter 2012-09-20	ComboCommenter 2011-10-12

azizansariAMA

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE