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HEMISPHERES:
I was in the room for your
set in front of the Drake audience at
Sundance. You were remarkably composed.
ANSARI:
I just kind of powered through.
The people that listened, listened, and
the people that didn’t, didn’t. A erward,
some were telling me I should have
tried this or that. That’s like trying to
give someone advice on jet-skiing in a
volcano. You’re set up to fail. It doesn’t
ma er—you have to do it and be done.
HEMISPHERES:
What do people not
understand about the standup business?
ANSARI:
I don’t think they realize how
it’s kind of like a play. You write this one-
hour piece, perform it around different
cities, put out a special and then write a
whole new play. Some people still think
it’s like a guy just gets up there and
starts talking off the top of his head.
HEMISPHERES:
I love your character on
“Parks and Rec.” How do you think of him?
ANSARI:
Inmy head he’s a guy who wants
to be an impresario like Russell Simmons
or Sean Combs or someone like that,
AT THE SUNDANCE
Film Festival
last winter, Aziz Ansari, the veteran
standup comedian who plays Tom
Haverford on NBC’s “Parks and
Recreation,” was in a tough spot. A
crowd at the popular Bing Bar was
waiting for the rapper-singer Drake.
Andwaiting. Drake, as it turned out, was delayed three hours by
a snowstorm. And it fell to Ansari to soothe the packed room.
Ansari, the 29-year-old son of a SouthCarolina gastroenterolo-
gist, knew it wasn’t going to be pre y. But he’s a pro, so he leaned
into the headwind and did a few short bits. “You’re not going to
believe this, but the rapper was late,” he began. “Unbelievable.
I expected to find him in the green room at 11:15 eating carrots
and hummus.” The scenesterswere not having it. As theminutes
ticked by, some started booing Ansari. Just then, the crewse ing
up for Drake hit the wrong knob and Ansari was sandblasted by
an incredible screechingnoise. “This is the best venue for standup
comedy ever,” he deadpanned.
Enter Cuba Gooding Jr., who happened to be in the audience.
He got up and suggested in fairly emphatic language that the
crowdneeded topipe downand showsome respect for Ansari. He
added that black people needed to stick together. This brought a
smile from Ansari, who is of Indian descent. He gave Gooding a
back pat, to calmhima bit. “I’mnot that upset, Cuba Gooding Jr.”
So there he was: Aziz Ansari, well-known funnyman and
reputed good guy, acting all adult and classy in a room
brimmingwithchaos. Throwinhis swaggering, cluelessmidlevel-
bureaucrat playa on “Parks and Recreation” and, well, how can
you not love this guy?
STANDUP GUY
From top left,
Ansari with Jimmy Kimmel and
“Parks and Recreation” co-star
Adam Scott; on Leno’s show;
with co-star Aubrey Plaza; being
“rescued” by Cuba Gooding Jr.
at a Drake concert
CONTINUED ON PAGE 150
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72
MAY 2012
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HEMISPHERESMAGAZINE.COM
JEFF KRAVITZ/FILMMAGIC (KIMMEL + SCOTT); KEVIN WINTER/ “TONIGHT SHOW”/GETTY IMAGES (LENO); JAMIE MCCARTHY/
WIREIMAGE (PLAZA); ANNA WEBBER/GETTY IMAGES FOR BING (GOODING); PREVIOUS SPREAD, JEROD HARRIS/WIREIMAGE
THE
HEMI
Q
&
A:
AzizAnsari