After writing and starring in the film “The Big Sick” in 2017, actor and comedian Kumail Nanjiani says writer-director and producer Robert Siegel (“Pam and Tommy,” “Big Fan,” “The Wrestler”) approached him with an idea to make a drama film about the American stripper troupe Chippandales. At the time, Nanjiani turned it down.
In 2021, Siegel came back and proposed it as a mini series. This time, the Pakistani-American actor said yes, and things started “coming together very quickly,” he notes.
In the first of a two-part conversation, Nanjiani talks about his foray into non-comedic acting, co-producing “Welcome to Chippendales” with his wife, Emily V. Gordon, getting into character, and the many benefits an actor is gifted for working on a limited series.
First, Disney fired CEO Bob Chapek and immediately reinstated Bob Iger to head the company over the weekend. Will Iger be able to steady the ship? Kim Masters and Matt Belloni analyze.