Typecasting is something that many actors have to deal with. Once they find a level of success in a certain place, it’s far from uncommon for similar roles to become the only thing they get offered. It tends to be even worse for actors of color, but Kumail Nanjiani is one who has found a certain amount of success keeping himself out of only playing one sort of role, in part because he specifically goes looking for jobs that he would find difficult.
Kumail Nanjiani had something of a breakout role on HBO’s Silicon Valley where the Pakistani-American played a role you might expect from one of his background, as a programmer for a tech startup. Since then, however, while he frequently made comedies, he has been able to play roles in serious dramas and he’s even become part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But Nanjiani tells the L.A. Times he knows how easy it is to be “put into a box.” He explained…
It’s very easy in this industry to get put into a box. Obviously, if you’re not white, you get put into a box, but also it’s an industry that likes to classify [all] performers. This person can play a nerd. This person can play an action star. It’s allergic to taking risks and having true imagination and vision when it comes to casting. So it is challenging.
While it’s difficult to argue with Hollywood’s lack of interest in taking risks, Kumail Nanjiani has had opportunities where people have been willing to do that. He was something of a surprise choice to become part of the cast of Eternals in the MCU, where Nanjiani became absolutely ripped, but now that he’s done that, the idea of seeing him as an action hero in the future is no longer so strange. Although we're still waiting to hear about the future of an Eternals sequel or any other use of the characters going forward.
Typecasting isn’t in itself a bad thing. A lot of actors end up playing similar sorts of roles, and at least appear to be ok with that. You can certainly be successful regularly playing the nerd or the action star. But Nanjiani is clearly looking to do more. He says he actually goes out of his way to choose roles that he’s not entirely sure how to handle. He continued…
My priority has been to do different types of things and stuff that is difficult for me because I find that more satisfying. I always want to take on a job that allows me to go at least 10% further than I’ve ever gone before. I want to read a script and say, 'I don’t exactly know how I’m going to do this, but I want to figure it out.’ Figuring it out is the fun part.'
This strategy has certainly appeared to pay off for Kumail Nanjiani, in addition to being able to appear in comedies and Marvel movies, he was also recently nominated for an Emmy for his performance in the cast of Welcome to Chippendales. Certainly, a willingness to take those unusual and potentially difficult roles is vital, but getting offered them in the first place is key, and not always within an actor’s control. Still, Nanjiani is proof it can be done.
