Jagannathan also shares an update on the production ofLanterns,Damon Lindelof’s anticipated new series.
“Have You Ever Taken a Dab Before?”
Abdullah Saeed utilized unusual methods to assemble his Deli Boys cast.
Image by Photagonist
COLLIDER: I really want to start with congratulations and congrats for being at Sundance presenting your series.
Can you sort of tell everyone what it’s about and why you wanted to make it?
ABDULLAH SAEED:Deli Boysis about two Pakistani American brothers in Philadelphia.
Image via NBC
They’re very pampered, and that’s about the only thing they have in common.
I think you left out one important thing.
It’s a lot bloodier than people think it’s going to be.
Image via Hulu
POORNA JAGANNATHAN: Very tasteful.
For the three actors, what was it like actually reading a script like this?
We just know the creator’s name is Abdullah Saeed."
Image via Hulu
And Im like, “That name sounds like a name I can pronounce!”
I told my manager about it, and she’s like, Oh, I rep the guy.
Let me set up a meeting."
Image via Hulu
So, I met Abdullah, and…
SAEED: We took dabs at my house.
SHAIKH: We took dabs.
ASIF ALI: They did drugs.
Image by Photagonist
JAGANNATHAN: And he was cast.
SHAIKH: He was like, “Have you ever taken a dab before?”
I was like, “Yeah!”
[Laughs] It was rough, but it was amazing.
It was totally worth it, and yeah, here we are today.
That’s the show!
I also feel like when I read my character, Abdullah had written this character for me.
It felt so tailor-made.
Can I actually ask a quick question for Abdullah?
Image by Photagonist
Was it her work onLaw & Order SVUthat impacted you?
SAEED:The Night Of, actually.
Oh, I’m sorry, I wanted to useLaw & Order.
Image by Photagonist
SAEED: It wasLaw & Order.
But truly, Poorna has had someamazingperformances.
I can’t believe that I’m sitting here with her.
Image by Photagonist
I can’t believe she’s the one playing Lucky.
JAGANNATHAN: I cant believe Im here either.
I can’t believe it.
Image by Photagonist
I’m happy this all worked out, but I interrupted the line.
So hey, what was it like?
ALI: For me, it’s pretty simple.
Image via Hulu
If I read something, it really is.
I do stand-up, so for me, comedy is first and foremost.
You sort of come in, and you do your thing, and you leave.
You know what I mean?
It was like, “No, it’s just a really funny show.”
And the world that he created was so unique.
JAGANNATHAN: I dont know about that…
ALI: No,Iwanted to see it!
When you were 10 years old, and you wantedthisshow, you had a pretty fucked up mind.
Our parents are pretty loosey-goosey with us seeing stuff.
SAEED: I think that’s true for a lot of South Asians.
I grew up watching stuff that wasway…
JAGANNATHAN: I sawBlue Lagoonat the age of eight.
ALI: There we go.
I understand why all of you are the way you are.
That really stood out to me.
I want to say the three of you have such great chemistry.
The cast is good?"
SAEED: That’s right.
We had a different showrunner on the pilot.
Michelle came in for the season, so she didn’t get to pick.
JAGANNATHAN: Also called a rehearsal, but continue.
SAEED: I’m betraying my own inexperience here.
It was a rehearsal.
And this lookedrightto me.
NADER: For me, I had read the script before I saw the pilot.
The pilot was already shot, but I had read the script first.
I was the same way.
I was like, “I’ve got to get onto this show.
I’ve got to find my way on.”
JAGANNATHAN: Michelle calls this show’s genre a “crimedy,” which I love.
SAEED: She came up with that.
I might use that in the headline.
NADER: Uh oh.
I’m going to get into so much trouble.
SAEED: She said it one time, just randomly, and we all hooked it.
NADER: Okay, cool.
SHAIKH: It’s a new genre.
When did you three realize, “We’re good.
We have it?”
SHAIKH: I think it was while we were shooting the pilot.
We were all just in a room, and it felt like it was a tension-less room.
We were all just joking and laughing, and it just felt super comfortable.
There was this energy to all of us.
I was feeling like, “This is going to go by smoothly.
This feels like we’re heightening each other’s jokes.
We understand each other’s jokes and are able to riff off of each other nicely.”
I feel like we made magic.
Your relationship [Ali and Shaikh] makes or breaks the show.
Forget What You Heard About Saagar Shaikh in ‘Ms.
Marvel’
“The juxtaposition between those two is insane.”
Saagar, I teased you about this last night.
Your character likes drugs.
He uses drugs and is so different from what you played in the Marvel Universe.
What do you think people who know you from your Marvel roles are going to think about this character?
SHAIKH: It’s interesting because my opening shot inMs.
Marvelis me doing dua, which is a prayer, right before starting breakfast.
It’s such a far-religious, extreme thing.
Then, my character inDeli Boysstarts off in the morning after an orgy.
[Laughs] So, just the juxtaposition between those two is insane.
I know a lot of people afterMs.
NADER: By that, he means dabs.
I can do multiple things.
“Shes certainly a big part of the MCU to me.”
ALI: We’re flying, baby.
Are you saying this just because its a Philadelphia thing?
SAEED: Yes, that’s right.
NADER: I didn’t even realize!
ALI: That’s how Philly she is.
She doesn’t even realize it.
SAEED: By the way, Michelle was in a Geno’s Steaks commercial.
It is on YouTube.
ALI: If you know, you know.
NADER: This is really taking me down.
Is this here to take me down?
SAEED: This is an intervention.
ALI: This is a hit piece.
It was kind of silly, like, “Oh, yeah, that’s the whole plan.”
Is the season called Deli Boys on a Boat?
SAEED: It will be in 2031.
NADER: We’re no longer running the show.
SAEED: So, really, there are all kinds of ideas.
I had the first set of ideas, like, “This could happen here.
This could happen way at the end.”
Then, when Michelle came on, that exponentially increased.
Truly, the best ideas in this show came from everywhere.
They came from me.
They came from Michelle.
They came from our producers.
“I think that’s how we got here.
Ive seen the first five episodes, and theres a lot of wild stuff.
SHAIKH: There were a lot of those days.
I feel so lucky to just be part of this project.
Every day felt like this for me.
It’s the job of my life, and I get to work with all these cool people.
Who gave you $5 to say that?
ALI: Genos Steaks money.
SAHIKH: Honestly, though.
We lived in the best place.
JAGANNATHAN: We lived in the best place.
SAEED: We’re going on a tangent.
I think we’re dead, and this is our heaven because we’re living in this cool place.
None of our loved ones are around us, meaningwemight be dead.
We get to live our dream job.
I think we’re dead.”
JAGANNATHAN: He literally said that.
SAHIKH: We were in the hot tub!
JAGANNATHAN: Not in that way.
ALI: It was that way.
SAIKH:Every day, I felt like, “We get to do this.”
JAGANNATHAN: The luckiest people on Earth.
ALI: Mine wasn’t necessarily a scary thing.
It was more so with the script.
We’re going to do our job, and then we’re going to go home.
We’re not necessarily invested to the nth degree in the success or failure of the show.
We’re just going to do our job."
This felt very different.
You notice that when you see the deli where we work at.
That wasyougoing above and beyond to do that."
And even to that crazy stunt that happens at the end of the first episode.
They took a lot of care, even with the wardrobe, in making sure that it was insane.
We did tests for the stunt that happened at the end.
Also, for the gore, I’ve got to shoutout our fellow EP, Jenni Konner.
For all of you guys, the first season is 10 episodes.
Which episode are you most excited for people to see?
NADER: We were just talking about that in the van.
SAEED: I’m wondering what you’re going to say.
NADER: Thatisthe right answer.
It’s [Episode] 5.
It was directed by Fawzia Mirza, who is such a talent.
SHAIKH: So good.
I really liked Episode 4.
I had such a blast working with him.
There’s a montage in there, and it’s just so cool.
SAEED: This is someone extremely famous.
The most famous person on the show.
ALI: By a mile.
SAEED: And he engages for the first time ever in physical action.
JAGANNATHAN: First scripted show.
SHAIKH: It’s his acting debut.
SAEED: And he’s a good actor.
I see an Emmy.
SAEED: Right?!
Because what he was doing was hard stuff.
I mean, it was pretty physical.
We were all like, “Oh, holy shit.
So this guy can do anything.”
The series arrives in March.
ALI: Mine’s [Episode] 10.
Mine’s the finale.
JAGANNATHAN: Just when you think you cant top it, every episode tops it.
SHAIKH: I also want to say Episode 9 is amazing.
My wife is in it, and that director is the hottest guy on the planet.
SAEED: He is truly the most attractive person any of us has ever seen.
JAGANNATHAN: I just saw him at Sundance, and I just pinched his bum.
I couldn’t help myself.
I know HR was close by, but still.
SAEED: Right now, our handlers are like, “What the fuck is happening?!”
I am a huge Damon Lindelof fan, and you are inLanterns.
Because Damon is doing it, I know it will be good.
I don’t know if you started filming.
What you’ve got the option to tell people about it and what are you allowed to say?
JAGANNATHAN: This is the first script that I’ve read that I understand why there’s an NDA.
Everything is so insane.
It is the best writing that I have ever read.
JAGANNATHAN: …but this script makes sci-fi seem like my world.
It’s so accessible to me.
I understand everything about this world, even though I don’t understand this world.
Soit’s the best sci-fi script I’ve ever read.
So you’ve started filming?
JAGANNATHAN: We start Tuesday.
Oh, you literally start in a few days!
SAEED: I can’t believe that.
JAGANNATHAN: We start camera testing and stuff on Tuesday.
First of all, I’m so happy forallof you being at Sundance with this and having Hulu.
I’m so happy for that, and I’m also so happyfor you.
Anything Lindelof has written, he’s such a great writer.
SAEED: Thank you so much.
Yo, shoutout to Collider, by the way.
I read your website.
You guys do great journalism.
You’re a really important venue for the entertainment business, so thank you.
JAGANNATHAN: And for us.
