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  • 2 months ago
Keynote speaker Kumail Nanjiani chats with THR on the red carpet for our Raising Our Voices event and reflects on how equity, inclusion and diversity impact the entertainment industry. Plus, he dishes on working with Selena Gomez, Steve Martin and Martin Short in 'Only Murders in the Building' season four.
Transcript
00:00You're giving the keynote speech here today at our Raising Our Voices event.
00:03How did you prepare, and what do you hope people will take away from your speech?
00:08Well, I prepared by writing a speech. I feel like that was a good start.
00:12I just had a few things that had been percolating in my head for a couple years
00:17that I'd sort of been, you know, because I've been thinking about this stuff a lot,
00:20about inclusion and diversity.
00:22And I was like, oh, this is an opportunity to sort of try and put that all together
00:26and structure in a way that's hopefully articulate.
00:28And so that's kind of what I prepared.
00:33And what do I hope people take away?
00:35I mean, I don't know.
00:36I hope that, you know, that the progress continues to be made.
00:41Since I've started working in this industry, I've seen things get a lot better,
00:45but still a lot of room for improvement.
00:47So I just hope we keep heading in the direction we're heading in.
00:50This event is all about equity, inclusion, diversity, and accessibility in Hollywood.
00:54How would you say that embracing these principles makes the content coming out of the industry just better?
01:00Yeah, that's a big part of what I'm talking about today.
01:04You know, I think a lot of movies and TV have traditionally been made by people
01:08who've had the same backgrounds and experiences.
01:11And so it all starts to feel a little bit samey.
01:14You get people from different backgrounds, different experiences.
01:16Suddenly that freshens up even, you know, older stories.
01:19So I think it just makes stuff feel more unique and specific.
01:25And I think it makes the movies and TVs better.
01:30You're currently in the new season of Only Murders in the Building.
01:33What was it like working with Selena, Steve, and Martin on that show?
01:37I mean, really a dream come true, you know.
01:40I've been watching, I'm going to call them Marty and Steve.
01:44I've been watching them since I was a little kid.
01:47So get to work with them and see how they work and get to have a relationship with them.
01:51It's been really, really wonderful.
01:54Just watching their work ethic and how funny they are and how kind they are, you know.
01:58That you can succeed by being a good person.
02:01And same with Selena, you know.
02:03I mean, she's been famous her entire life.
02:04And she could not be more grounded, more open, more generous.
02:08And all three of them really, really understood that, you know, I'm walking into the fourth season of a show.
02:15It can be intimidating working with comedy legends.
02:17They all went out of their way to make me feel welcome.
02:20And, I mean, you know, genuinely, like, the best job I've ever had.
02:27You're also going to be in the new season of Poker Face.
02:29What can you share about your role in that show and what it was like being on that set?
02:33Oh, I don't know what I can say about it, but I love that show so much.
02:37I absolutely love Natasha and Ryan.
02:40And so I was really excited, you know.
02:43Those were two of the shows this year that I wanted to be on.
02:46And I'm very excited that they asked me to do it.
02:50It's unlike any character I've ever played.
02:53It's a really big swing.
02:55It's really exciting, really fun.
02:57People are going to be very surprised when they see what I play.
03:02I've truly never done anything like this.
03:04But, again, you know, I've been friends with Natasha for many years.
03:08She's so talented.
03:09That show has such a specific voice.
03:11It's so fun.
03:12I trust Ryan so much, too.
03:14So, you know, I'm very excited to see that episode because I don't, I really, I just want
03:20to see how it turns out.
03:21It's really, really exciting.
03:23And finally, since we're at the Raising Our Voices event, what's your advice to emerging
03:27artists and creators who want to embrace equity and inclusion in their work?
03:31I think, I mean, the best you could do is try and make your stuff look like the world.
03:36You know, we're not asking for anything extra.
03:38We're just asking for representation that is on par with how the world looks.
03:43So, you know, I think sometimes people overthink it and sort of go the wrong way and make decisions
03:51based on stuff that doesn't matter.
03:53I think, ultimately, just make your stuff look realistic and the diversity and inclusion
03:59will follow.
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