Fans of Jon Stewart’s the Daily Show know Aasif Mandvi as the show’s foreign correspondent.
But many of those same fans may not realize that Mandvi is also a dramatic actor. He played a lawyer in the Pulitzer Prize winning play, Disgraced. ‘
“I don’t know the answer to what “Daily Show” viewers would think — I think most of them are stoned. said Mandvi in an interview with the Asia Society which was reprinted in the Salon. “But I do enjoy doing both dramatic and comedic work and cherish the chances when I can go back and forth.
He’s pleased with the opportunities he’s been given, but he’s also frustrated by the obstacles many South Asian actors run into in Hollywood.
“Things are getting better for South Asian actors in Hollywood, but we still need a South Asian leading man,” “South Asian men in Hollywood are still not allowed to be sexual, they can be smart or funny or nerdy, but not sexual. On the other hand, the women are overly sexualized in that they are seen as exotic or there to add spice. So even though we have come a long way in being represented in mainstream Hollywood, there are still more advancements to make.”
You can read more of the interview in the Salon.
