I am Aasif Mandvi, best known as a correspondent on the Daily Show, but I'm also an actor and a writer, and now I have a new book of personal essays called "No Land's Man." AMA!

Hey Aasif! In your time on The Daily Show you have played several "Senior ____ Correspondent" roles. Which of these has been your favorite to play, and why?

senior foreign looking correspondent.

Thanks for doing this Aasif.

My question: The Last Airbender......why? Were you in a dark place in your life? Did Shamalan hold your family hostage? Was it the money? If you needed money, I would have given you some!

first of all, Airbender was one the most awesome experiences i have ever had making a movie. i'm very glad i got to play that role and got to work with those people. No regrets!

Second of all?

second of all, i think the film received an unfair level of criticism and that was partly bc of a negative attitude and a thirst for blood towards M.Night. i;m not saying it was the greatest movie in the world but it somehow got singled out more than it deserved.

Hey Aasif big fan of yours! Do you have a particularly fun or memorable piece that you have done as a correspondent on The Daily Show?

asking Gov rick scott to pee in a cup, i wish i could go back and do that again.

Seriously one of the funniest things I've ever seen.

thanks.

Aasif, you are definitely my favorite correspondent currently on the show. So what's your favorite bit on the daily show that you were in and what's your favorite bit that you were NOT in?

i loved Oliver's reports from Australia on Gun control.

Hey Aasif! Big fan! Throughout your tenure on The Daily Show you have faced a lot of racism and islamophobia, I was wondering if there was any instance of this that particularly stands out to you, maybe something that wasn't even aired on the show? Thank you for doing this AMA and I can't wait to read your book.

thanks. i have not faced anything personally, but I did talk to a woman in tennessee once who when i told her i was muslim, she said not everyone's perfect.

Hi Aasif! First off, thanks for doing this. I'm a big fan of your work, especially as someone who is a visible minority. There really aren't very many South Asian role models out there, so thank you. My questions for you are:

1) Do you have any advice for visible minorities working in White-dominated fields?

2) How do you balance being South Asian without being typecast as being "The South Asian Guy"? Are you selective about the projects you do and how you portray yourself?

3) Which do you prefer - gulab jamun or jalebi?

Thanks!

1) just use your difference and ethnic specificty as your source of power. 2) i don't really worry about being typecast as the south asian guy, i just try to do great work and stay focused on my work and the things i can control. 3) gulab jamun

Thanks for the response. Good luck to you in the future, and thanks for not reducing "us" to a stereotype.

thanks

What was it like working with Tobey Maguire and Ricky Gervais?

i never worked with them together, but i will say one of them was hilarious, and the other... was ricky gervais.

Last year you had a plum role in The Internship, a film which had a lot of potential to be a sly commentary on technology and today's new youth market. Considering the talent that was involved, and the uniqueness of locale, do you have any awesome anecdotes to share in the making of that film?

i heard they wanted to use the google driverless car more in the movie and originally have Vince and Owen crash it, but bc it has not come out yet Google nixed that. also the google campus has some of the best Indian food outside of India.

What were your favourite and least favourite interviews to do for the Daily Show? And why do those interviews earn that honour?

my most favourite are when people speak their minds, even if what is in their minds, is nonsense. my worst is with politicians who never speak what is on their minds, but only what is in the talking points.

Hi Aasif! Glad to see you back on TDS after not being on the show for a while. Can you talk about The Brink? What's it about?

its a geopolitical comedy, each season we follow in real time a global crisis playing out. we see it through the eyes of the state dept, the military and the foreign service. it's dr strangelove meets mash.

In one word, what is it like being Muslim in America?

itreallydependsonwhoyoutalkto.

Hello dearest Aasif! Thanks so much for taking the time to do this AMA!

I am a white American and my ex is an Indo-Muslim-Kenyan-American. My ex felt that if I didn’t convert, his family in Kenya would shun him and that he would lose so many connections to where he came from. He doesn’t want to let go of who he is, but neither do I. I imagine it’s hard enough to keep your identity living in one country but identifying with multiple others, but in your opinion (or experience), how can you keep from losing yourself in an interfaith/intercultural relationship?

i think it's hard. culture and religion often define us, and we have to find a new definition of who we are in interfaith or intercultural relationships. thats not always easy.

How was working on The Last Airbender compared to The Daily Show?

exactly the same. stand in front of a green screen and pretend to be a bad ass!!!!

If you could change one thing about the American political system, what would you change?

the NRA.

I'm looking at your film/tv credits and it looks like you have played a ton of doctors. By now, do you think you are on par with a real doctor? Or perhaps could play one on tv like Dr. Oz or Dr. Phil?

im a real doctor now

Are you leaving the Daily Show to do The Brink or will you be doing both? I can't take everyone leaving :(

i'm doing both right now, but who knows... :-)(

I've never watched the daily show, as we don't have cable or satellite, but I'd like to ask:

What are you wearing?

nothing

My man.

brofist

now its getting weird

What's your favorite role on television outside The Daily Show and why is it playing doctor on Jericho?

playing a drunken doctor on jericho

From wikipedia on you: "After graduating from the University of South Florida with a degree in Theatre,[8] Mandvi worked as a performer at Disney-MGM Studios at Walt Disney World Resort.[1]"--- so please tell us some of your crazy USF party stories?

i was such a theatre nerd, i never went to parties. most of my parties were after parties, and if you have ever gone to an after party with a bunch of acting students, they get stoned and talk about the craft! hahaha

Hi Aasif, love your work!

What is the process when you set up an interview? Sometimes I watch the correspondents segments on the show and I can't believe that the people being interviewed could say something so ridiculous.

we just point and shoot, people say craay stuff!!

Hi Aasif! Huge fan! Saw you in Disgraced when it was playing at the Lincoln Center last year. Curious about how you were picked to star in it (you were fantastic in it BTW!) and why aren't in the Broadway adaptation thats running now? And have you seen the Broadway version yet? If so, what do you think? Thanks!

thank you. i was picked for that role by the playwright ayad akhtar who had me come in over the course of several years and do workshops of the play and help develop the role. i have not seen the bway prd yet but plan to. i was very sad at not doing it on bway but unfortunately i was commited to shooting a new HBO series called The Brink and so the schedules could not work out.

I really enjoyed Today's Special. Do you feel like it has found its audience? Any plans for another screenplay?

its always finding its audience. its the little movie that could!!! i hope to write more movies in the future, yes. thanks

Are there any comedians out there that you would like to see become Daily Show Corrspondents?

nope

nope

Hey Aasif! Do you think The Daily Show has the same o impact on political discourse in the country that it did 3-4 years ago? Will Stephen stepping down make it even lower? Or am I just being stupid :)

i think it is still relevant, until fox creates a daily show that kicks our ass

Alright everyone buckle down, Aasif confirmed it, we're in for the long haul.

yep

HA! You're a funny, funny man!

thanks

What are your thoughts on how Muslim-Americans are portrayed in Hollywood?

I was particularly a fan of Today's Special, because while your character's Indian identity was part of his character, it wasn't part of an "otherness" I sense in other portrayals of Muslim-Americans in Hollywood. It just so happened that it was his identity and we were seeing his struggles with that lens (similar to how racial identity in The Cosby Show was portrayed).

Or maybe I just liked it cause it reminded me of my family and that I can barely cook naan, idk.

thanks. i think we have to get a point where it's not the muslim experience but just the american experience.

How do you balance the quirky parts of humor involved in the daily show with your ability to deliver a quality message whilst making us laugh our fucking asses off?

its a team effort.

Hi Aasif! Always been a fan. As a fellow brown person, your success makes us all proud. My question is: We're you in the movie ABCD a few years back?

yes and there is no apostrophe needed there. lol

You grew up in England… are you a soccer fan? If so, which team/club do you support?

i grew up supporting Leeds United.

Hello from Pakistan! I read that you are involved with a charity, Relief 4 Pakistan. Have you ever visited here? There is a big Bohra community in Karachi, where I live. And everyone here loves the Daily Show, although I'm not so sure how popular it is amongst the Bohras.

nothing is popular among the Bohra's, except you know....

What was it like working with Joseph Gordon-Levitt in Premium Rush?

nice guy. i'm glad i didn't have to do those stunts.

I just have to say that The Internship was such an amazing movie. Are there any memorable experiences from it that stood out above the rest?

just all the free food we got at Google.

I read your story "The Ledge" about being bullied in a British boarding school. Powerful story. My heart went out to you! Are you doing any upcoming book signings or appearances?

yes, this weekend in DC and NY.

Hey Aasif, USF alum here. Can you share any fond memories you have while matriculating in Tampa?

Also, big fan of Today's Special. Have you seen Outsourced? Kind of reminds me of that. You should check it out if you haven't seen it yet.

edit: Outsourced the movie, not the tv show.

yes, Outsourced the movie was great. thanks

Mr. Mandvi, thanks for doing this.

Were you a fan of the Last Airbender series before joining the cast? Also, are you looking forward to any kind of sequel?

i had not seen the series before being cast, and i have not heard of any sequels.

Hi Aasif,

First, thanks for your great work. My son and I watch TDS every night and I can tell you that we both very much enjoy when you're doing a segment.

So, my question- what has you most excited about "The Brink"?

its dealing with the same issues as the daily show but in a narrative form

Tell us more about your book of essays! What are some of the themes that you write on? (And I liked you a lot in ABCD. You were the only character that wasn't a whiny baby)

lol.. thanks, i guess... the book is a series of personal essays, they are humerous for the most part, but they do touch upon themes of the immigrant identity, dislocation, race, trying to find an identity in a western world as a south asian, being muslim in america post 9/11, but don't worry, it also touches on some sereious themes, like my fathers obsession with brunch and why my parents bonded over their love of Urine.... true story!

Desis are obsessed with bodily functions. And brunch. I'll definitely look up the book. Thanks!

yes they are!!!! gotta love it! thanks.

Who are some of your favorite comics right now? Who was your inspiration growing up?

i don't really think of myself as a comic, but i love chris rock and louis ck

Hi Aasif! I am a Canadian and wanted to know if you have had a chance to check out Sugar Sami yet?

Also, can you enlighten me on where you think comedy (usually making fun of something or someone) ceases to be hateful or hurtful? And what do you think the line is?

i think you have to draw that line for yourself and see how it lands.

Aasif I was watching Law and Order the other day and noticed a young you as a smut peddler in a video store. Ive heard thats a show that many celebrities would kill to be on. What other show would you really like to play a serious role in ? Also The Anthony Weiner joke you had at Murray Hill was one of the Funniest bits Ive ever seen. Good Luck!!!

its more about the role for me, and not the show. thanks

How often do you guys do crazy shit on the daily show? Like any jousting for doughnuts or pillaging for coffee?

have you been to our offices, cos thats all we do

I haven't watched The Daily Show in a little whilte but I have to ask. What does Craig Kilborn smell like?

sesame oil.

Hey Aasif, I loved your character in Oz. What's your favorite memory from working on that show?

beating up my old friend Rick Rodgers.

Do you actually think the current PM of India Narendra Modi should be held accountable and punished for the Gujrat riots? (even though all courts in India have cleared him)

Also, why all "Indian's and Indian police should be ashamed of themselves for this kind of behaviour." Shouldn't we just hold guilty those who were actually responsible for this kind of a thing?

i have not studied it enough but if you think that just because he was cleared that means he was not guilty, then you may not understand how indian politics works...lol you should hold people responsible, but not with a mob mentality, also it was mostly because they were black man.. lets not kid ourselves.

thanks for answering. I think we should understand politics in general, is nasty, independent of what region it might belong to. Also, if we cannot trust the judiciary, who do we trust.

Anyway, big fan of your work on TDS. Always a delight to see your segments. Pre-ordered your book too. Good luck!

thanks. hope you like the book.

What was your favorite segment that you did on the Daily Show? Is there any interesting behind the scene incident that you could share about one of your interviews?

well there have been so many, but i also love the don yelton piece that i did.

Any chance Amazon or Netflix will feature your new HBO show?

i don't know, but the world is changing everyday. never say never.

How did you go about becoming an actor and getting the gig on the Daley Show, and what advice would you give someone who wants to follow a similar path? Thanks!

my advice is study the craft and be resourceful, there is no path i can tell you to follow, except don't compare your career to others, just keep doing your own thing. i got TDS by auditioning for it.

I just read Sakina's Restaurant and I really loved it. Are you working on any other plays?

thanks. not right now

Hello Aasif Thanks for ama session!

What s the best advice u ve ever been given in ur career? By who?

What s ur most incredible experience of life?

What do u do in ur free time if u have any?

Thanks

i think the advice comes from experience, in just knowing that what is happening to you right now, is not what is happening to you and life can change in an instant, so just keep doing what it is you are doing and don't compare yourself to others. living is an incredible experience. i wish i had more, but mostly i like to hang out with friends, and sleep.

Hello, how are you doing today?

I ran across Today's Special on Netflix last weekend and enjoyed it. Did you do any of the cooking during it? If so, did you learn how to cook any particular dishes for it?

Also, what is your favorite Indian meal? What is your overall favorite food?

i did take cooking lessons m wish i had learned more than how to make steak, but i'm glad you enjoyed it. indian food is my comfort food but i do love a great steak!

How was the experience for you, as a South Asian actor, breaking into Hollywood?

From what I've seen South Asians in Hollywood are pretty much nonexistent so that couldn't have been easy.

it was not easy but there are more south asians in hollywood now than ever before.

Aasif! Hi I usually ask anyone I look up to this question:

1) what was the most influential/formative event in your life?

2) have you ever considered making a spin off like John Oliver?

Cheers

hmm... it was probably the moment I got on stage as a young boy and felt the thrill of performing... also the first time i tasted peanut butter! performing and peanut butter have remained the two great loves of my life. i am concentrating on being an actor right now, with the new HBO show called The Brink comoing out next year.