About five years ago, I was in graduate school with actor Maulik Pancholy. He was a third-year when I was a first-year, and by the time I graduated, he was becoming a big deal. Now he's got recurring roles on two (two!) hit series. He plays drug-dealing college student Sanjay on Showtime's Weeds, and he's assistant to Alec Baldwin's network executive Jack Donaghy on NBC's 30 Rock. A few weeks ago, I joined him for brunch in Brooklyn, and he kindly answered all my questions. Even the geeky ones about Tina Fey. Mark Blankenship: Let's start with Weeds, since the third season is almost upon us. How did you end up with the role of Sanjay? Maulik Pancholy: Rolin Jones [a Weeds writer and former classmate at Yale School of Drama] called me and said, "We're about to write this character, and we don't cast out of New York very often, but it's perfect for you and you need to get yourself on tape for it." So I sent in an audition tape, and it was actually really complicated, because it was moving very quickly. They had to do some kind of network approval with Showtime, but I wasn't in L.A. because I was doing a very low-budget indie film in New York. I was able to get out of the film to do my first episode, but it was hard, because I was letting people down. It all worked out, but it was against all odds, being in the wrong city and having to get approval on tape and having another job. MB: Once you got the job, were you expected to play a recurring character? MP: After I shot my first episode, the part just kind of grew from there. I don't even think they necessarily knew where it was going to go. MB: Do you think they developed the role based on what you were bringing to it? MP: I don't know, actually. I'm not super-privy to how they write. I do think the writers are super-smart and write to what they see as people's skills. MB: You've said in another interview that Sanjay upends Indian stereotypes. Can you talk about how that's true? MP: Yeah. You know, I feel like some of the stereotypes of Indian characters you see on television are that they're a little bit nerdy and super-intelligent, and I think Sanjay has that. MB: Because he's a tutor, right? MP: Right. But he also says in his very first episode that he's a complete underachiever with no direction, and he needs some cash. I think that's pretty unusual. He doesn't want to be a doctor or a scientist, so he's a drug dealer.
MB: Plus, he's an arsonist. I was shocked when he burned down the bakery. MP: I don't know how pathological that is for him. I think it's borne out of this intense relationship he has...well, "relationship" is a strong word. This...relation he has to Nancy Botwin. He would pretty much do anything for her. MB: When you came to the show, were you aware Sanjay was a character with the potential to torch a building? MP: Not at all. MB: What else have you discovered about him? MP: Not to judge the character, but Sanjay's worldview is a little different than the average human being's. He's a little weird. He's trying to find his footing and direction. It's all rooted in the paradox of being a highly intelligent underachiever, and there's some weird behavior that comes out of that. MB: I guess you could argue that selling drugs is pretty weird for a guy like Sanjay. MP: I think selling pot becomes a way for him to have something to do. Something to go for. And Nancy's the same thing. And then he discovers some stuff about himself this season that leads to a lot of experimenting and trying to figure himself out. But through all of that, once he makes up his mind to do something, he does it. As in, "I see a way to help Nancy Botwin. I will burn down the bakery." And that's another thing about the writing that's so great. Because you might not expect a character who doesn't really know himself to have that kind of conviction. MB: Before I started recording this, you mentioned that we're going to be meeting some of his family soon. Is his ethnic background going to become a bigger part of his story? MP: We meet his family really briefly, just his parents, and we met a little bit of family in the first season when he started selling pot, but in the classic Weeds fashion, they sort of drifted way. This year it's just one little brief scene. It's in his home, and he and his parents are having an Indian meal. I definitely think his family plays into his character. It would be hard to ignore that. I've known all along that he's poor, and his family is probably a big contrast to his life with these other characters in Agrestic [California]. MB: How so? MP: There's a moment in Season 2, after they think the grow house has been raided, where he's like, "I have to go, my mom is freaking out," and he runs out of the house. And I think that's what it is: His parents have no idea what he's doing, which is part of why he thinks being a drug dealer is so exciting.
MB: I thought it was interesting that in the last episode of Season 2, when all those people in the grow house have got their guns aimed at Nancy, Sanjay suddenly has all the power. Nancy shoved him in the closet, and now none of the bad guys know he's there. He's the one with the element of surprise, and there's this tension for the viewer that comes from knowing he could burst into the scene at any moment. It seems like the show is positioning him to move in a new direction from there. MP: He does move in a pretty new direction. What happens in the first episode of Season 3 and how it moves forward...it's not like it gets resolved and then everything goes back to normal. It affects the whole season. MB: But you're probably not allowed to say anything else. MP: Totally not. MB: So...how did you get the role of Jonathan on <a "href=http://www.nbc.com/30_Rock/ target="blank">30 Rock? MP: I just went in and auditioned. In the pilot episode, Jonathan had no lines. He just talked through Post-It Notes, so I had to go in and do this little scene where I was just handing Post-It Notes out and try to make it funny. Then I had a callback with Tina [Fey], and they told me to "explore the physical comedy." So I went in and did all this crazy stuff. And the Post-It Notes fell. So I was, like, writing on my hand, and I remember leaving and thinking, "Oh my God. That was way too over-the-top. That's not what this show is about." So then several months went by where I didn't hear anything, but then they called and said they wanted me to do the show. MB: Are you going to be back for Season 2? MP: Definitely. I'm already on board for the first few episodes. MB: You mentioned not having any lines in the pilot. Jonathan still doesn't talk very much, but he totally makes an impression. He seems like someone who is desperately devoted to his boss and who will lose his mind if anything goes wrong. How would you define him? MP: I think Jonathan is sort of the ultimate executive assistant. The reason he wants to do his job so perfectly is he sees Jack Donaghy and he thinks, "This man is perfection, and I, too, could be like that." I think he develops this whole way of seeing the rest of the cast through Jack's eyes. Like his relationship to [Tina Fey's character Liz] Lemon is that he needs her at times, bur for the most part she's nothing, compared to his boss. But at the same time, that crazy respect creates a lot of fear for him, so he's terrified of messing up. He wants to be seen as the perfect assistant at all times.
MB: Is it hard to convey all that in, like, ten words per episode? MP: Creating that with no words is sort of the way you play any character. You know who you are and then you just try to bring that to the scene. I don't really think of it in a different way than if I did have lines. And sometimes I do get some lines, which is nice. Plus, on television you still get to discover a character as it's written, so you come in with an idea, but then you allow it to be shaken up a bit. You're constantly finding the reason for any discrepancies, and when the writing is strong like it is on 30 Rock or Weeds, it's not hard to see how the discrepancies can fit into the mosaic of one human being. MB: In the way you describe these two characters, it sounds like they overlap quite a bit. Both of them stand outside the action, and they both have someone they idolize. Is that a connection that informs your work at all? MP: It could be. Huh. I think both Sanjay and Jonathan are sort of the low rung on the ladder, and they're both seeking some upward mobility. And yeah...structurally, they both have these strong bosses that they love for different reasons. But I don't think Sanjay is so concerned about being put together, and for Jonathan, it's about making sure that every paper clip is in exactly the right place. So the way they pursue objectives is quite different, although they might be going for similar things. MB: Is there ever going to be an episode where Jonathan and Jack McBrayer's character take over? MP: I'd love that! Jack is hilarious and so much fun. It would be so fun to do the "assistants episode." MB: Does not being in every episode of a season affect the way you work with your co-stars? I mean, I know you come from a theater background, where half the point is developing strong relationships with other actors through the rehearsal process. So I'm wondering: How do you create a connection with actors when you're only with them for a limited time? MP: It does force you to speed up the process. Rehearsal for me on both shows is pretty much limited to, "Read the scene once. Read the scene again to block it. Read the scene one more time to let the cameras watch, and then go get changed." But I'm lucky that on both of these shows, I'm working with really great actors. I think it's coming in with a strong choice, playing it off another person, and just allowing it to be quicker than if you're in a play.
MB: With all the stuff you do on film, where the process is so much faster, do you feel like you actually get to use what you learned in your theater training at Yale School of Drama? MP: Part of what they tell you is that they're training you to be able to instinctively respond, to train the instrument to be open. And I think that's really key in television and film. Oftentimes, you're responding to a piece of tape on the side of the camera, because the other actor is working on something else or has to be in the make-up chair and they just need the reaction. And you think, "Well, that's not what theater training is about at all, to act to a piece of tape," but I think it gives you that skill set to be able to bring up what you need to. MB: Just for the sake of full disclosure, do you remember that time we were in graduate school together? MP: Yes. Yes, I do. Write it down! MB: Who can forget academic year 2002-2003, right? But now, let's totally shift gears. MP: Okay. MB: Are there differences between working on a cable series and a network series? MP: The budgets are a lot different, so you have to work within the constraints of whatever that is, and generally, networks have a lot more money than cable shows. But I feel like [30 Rock and Weeds] are pretty similar, in that the writers are all interesting and creative and fun. I don't sense the network or cable presence the way that the creators might, but it seems like both shows have been given the license to run with it. MB: Getting back to 30 Rock, I think it's interesting that you are an actor of East Indian heritage, but you are playing a character whose name is Jonathan. His minority status doesn't really come into play, and that's pretty unusual for television. MP: I don't think the part was written to be played by an East Indian actor, but of course a lot of East Indian people don't have East Indian names, so I think it works. And I think it speaks to the intelligence of someone like Tina Fey that she didn't feel the need to compartmentalize the character by changing his name. I think pointing it up could have made it more of an issue that it needed to be. MB: Doing you think your ethnicity has affected your career? MP: Yes. Sometimes in a great way, but sometimes it can be limiting. What's great is there are all these parts I can play that are written for East Indian and South Asian and Middle Eastern characters. I just went in for a French Arab character, and I've played Lebanese. There are all these great things I've been able to do. But on TV, people of color are still usually the friends of the lead characters, so the stories are not always all that interesting.
MB: Do you ever feel a responsibility to be a role model or to, like, wave the banner for your people? MP: For me, I feel that responsibility in regard to cultural perceptions. For example, in this Law and Order: Criminal Intent that I did, I played this Pakistani kid whose sister wanted to marry an Italian guy, and I basically performed an honor killing and killed my sister. I feel like that's a really complicated issue. And in a culture where Pakistanis and Muslims are already fighting to be looked at truthfully rather than be stereotyped as terrorists, I thought about that a lot, especially since I'm not Pakistani or Muslim. And in the end, that one was based on a true story. And the kid had parents who didn't believe what he did was right, so I felt like [the episode] was doing its best to show something balanced. It's important for me to try to be aware of that because it's part of who I am. MB: Have you played a role that you thought wasn't balanced? MP: When I first started out, I played a character on a Saturday morning television show that wore a turban and was feeding his roommate fried pieces of camel. The whole joke was his culture. That was really hard, but it was my first television job, and I needed somewhere to start from. Would I be okay with that now? I don't think so. MB: That article I mentioned before said you're in a kind of trifecta with Naveen Andrews and Sendhil Ramamurthy. Is that something you think about? MP: I'm somewhat cognizant of it. I think the community is growing exponentially. I think there's a healthy sense of competition, but people are also really supportive. I get emails about auditions from people, like, "Did you hear about this?" And it's great, because as it continues to grow, it forces you to be on your game more and not just assume that because you're Indian you're going to get to play the Indian part. MB: That sounds nice. Like having a sort of family in the big, scary world of acting. MP: It depends on the type of community you create for yourself. Because there are certainly competitive, cutthroat actors out there. MB: Can you name six of them? And then say nasty things about them?
MP: I have a list in my pocket right here! People I would never want to see at an audition… MB: Awesome! So juicy! MP: But, yeah...I think you can create a community where it's not about that. And because I'm different from a lot of actors I know, it erases a lot of the sense of competition. Like, from all the people I went to grad school with, there's very few that I compete with at an audition. MB: Do you feel like you've got friendships that have come out of your various projects? MP: Definitely. And not just the cast. Crew crosses over a lot, especially in New York, where the community is just a lot smaller. I just did this film 27 Dresses with Katherine Heigl and James Marsden, and a guy from 30 Rock came it to work for a day on it, and it's like, "Oh my god!" And you just start to see people's names. Last night, a friend of mine had the DVD of this series that was on the WB for a year called Grosse Pointe, and we were watching the end credits and I was like, "Oh my god, I know that editor!" And with Weeds, it's our third year now. It's like going back to school after taking the summer off. Mary-Louise [Parker] threw this really nice dinner for the cast last week, and it was a great opportunity to hang out at a fancy restaurant and drink wine. MB: So on the set...who are you? Are you, like, the troublemaker? Are you the wily prankster? MP: No, I'm the good kid, I think. There's not a lot of troublemakers, actually. 30 Rock is definitely split a little bit between the younger cast members and the more experienced cast members. And I have so little to do with Jack McBrayer or [the actors that play] the writers, so whenever we do get to have a day together, it's so much fun. MB: Now...because I am a total fanboy geek and have seen Mean Girls upwards of ten times, I must ask you: What's it like working with Tina Fey? MP: Tina is so nice. I don't know how she does it. She creates, writes, [and] stars in the show, and I believe she executive produces. And she has a kid. And you can tell she's a great mom. And she did a movie on our hiatus. And still somehow she has time within a day to respond to my "congratulations on all the Emmy nominations" email. She instantly wrote back to say thank you. I just feel like you don't find a lot of people like that at all. Not only in the industry, but anywhere. People who can just get that much shit together.
MB: And you just want Tina Fey to do well, or at least I do. She just seems so cool. Like I was really happy when 30 Rock got all those Emmy nominations and that she got a nomination for her acting. It was like an acknowledgment that she and the show are great. MP: I think you're totally right. And I think that's great because the show developed a lot. Especially the characters. Liz Lemon could have been just the insecure, smart writer who didn't understand the network, but she's this woman with this incredibly complex relationship with Jack Donaghy. You got to see her, as an actress, become more complex over the season. It's not surprising to me at all, but I just think it's really cool to get to see MB: Speaking of seeing...and being seen...you've got a recurring role on two popular shows. Have you started getting recognized on the street? MP: I get stopped every now and then, and it's always a mix. Some people watch Weeds, and some people watch 30 Rock. I actually find that a lot of Weeds watchers watch 30 Rock. I think it's part of the same demographic of people who watch smart comedies. MB: Well, I went online and found some things that people are saying about you, and it seems like that you're becoming something of a sex symbol. MP: What?! MB: Yeah. On your IMDb profile, which...do you ever look at your IMDb profile? MP: I try not to. MB: Really? Because if I had one, I would look at it three hundred times a day. MP: I just feel like...once you get sucked into that, of course there's going to be negative things said about you and, so... MB: Well, at this point you have nothing but positive things on your page. If you don't want to visit, just trust me. There's a thread about you that's titled "Delicious," and inside it, someone describes you as being "madd sexxy." And it's with two ds and two xs, so you know they mean it. MP: That's hilarious. MB: Do you ever get that kind of feedback? MP: You know what's funny? No one's ever said that to me in person. I guess it's easier to write it online than to say it to someone's face. Because I have gotten a couple of e-mails from girls who track me down and say, "I'd love to meet you." It's kind of fun. The thing is, it's super-flattering, and you're like, "Wow, thank you!" But I don't know that I'd ever really follow up on any of that.
MB: Yeah, you can just have your assistant do that for you. MP: My Jonathan! My own personal Jonathan. MB: So when you look at the direction of your career, do you have a sense of what you want it to become? MP: It's hard, because things come at you that it's so hard to plan for. I'd like to keep doing television and film, and I'd love to do theater. But it's a little bit hard to commit to being somewhere [for a play] for two or three months, just because the television and film jobs have been coming at a nice pace. Mostly, the goal is to keep working with interesting people, but to have characters with more complex storylines. I'd like to be able to carry something. MB: How does your schedule work when you're a recurring character on two series at once? Is it hard to plan your life around that? MP: It is a little hard to plan my life around that. Recurring on both shows grants me the ability to do both shows, because for the most part, series regulars are locked into the shows they work on. So in some ways, it's fantastic. But sometimes I don't know until the week before, or even less, as to whether or not they're going to want me. And I want to be available to do both shows, but sometimes you accept another job. I had to miss out on a few episodes of 30 Rock last year because I committed to other things. And right now there are two films I might be working on at the end of August, but that's when they start shooting 30 Rock. So I'm just trying to keep everything up in the air for as long as possible. The great thing for me with these two particular shows is that 30 Rock shoots on a network schedule -- which is August to March, I think -- and Weeds shoots during the summer, which is April to July. MB: Perfect timing. MP: It's kind of unreal how it works out. It would be impossible otherwise because one is in L.A. and one is in New York. Already, I do a lot flying back and forth, but I can't imagine trying to do it more. [At this point, a strange beeping sound comes out of nowhere.] MB: Wait. Was that your iPhone ringing? MP: Yeah, I just got an iPhone, but I have no idea how to use it yet. MB: Is that why I called you earlier and the message lady said there was no voicemail on your account? MP: Yeah, it's been literally two hours since I got this thing. MB: Awesome. I might put that in the story, for personal flavor.
MP: Cool. MB: Also, could you throw this ketchup at our waitress? MP: I love to create a scene, but I still need the ketchup. I'm taking forever to eat. MB: Well, now I can write that you've got "healthy eating habits," and I'll mention that you had that muffin from the bread basket earlier. MP: It was good. MB: But let's see… you were also in a pilot called Dash 4 Cash That was a case where your character's name did get changed to match your ethnicity, right? Because originally it was Pablo. MP: Yeah, it was. It was. I believe the character was originally written...well, it was Pablo. So...of Hispanic descent. And I think he was supposed to be overweight, because the breakdown described him as a little bit like Hurley from Lost. And I actually went in for another character, but then they decided to change what the Pablo character was like. So I came in for the newly revised Pablo. And they did change it to Iqbal. And that was...a choice. Which was fine. It didn't really affect the character, because no matter his descent, he was an American kid. I'm not even sure if Iqbal was Pakistani or Indian or what. MB: And now we may never know. MP: And now we may never know, because it's not going forward. But it was fun. Betty Thomas directed, and it was this fun ensemble cast. It was a faux-reality show that was like The Amazing Race. We were all on a race. The "dash for cash." MB: Wow. That's so meta. MP: So meta. It was sort of like we all played the worst examples of reality show contestants. Me and this guy Kevin Christy played "the nerdy guys." Our characters had never left their home state of Washington, except to go to a Comic-Con convention. And suddenly they were going across the country trying to win money. And Iqbal meets this girl on the show that he has a total crush on, and he has no idea how to deal with it. It was fun because we mainly shot outside, so there was a lot of hanging out. But...it's not going forward. MB: So it goes. MP: That's the second pilot I've done that has not gone forward, but that's just par for the course. They make so many.
MB: And with that, we've covered all the topics on my little notepad. Thanks so much for sitting down with me!