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We've been big fans of Aziz Ansari since he first hit the comedy scene all those years ago, and it seems like since then he's been speedily checking things off his To-Do list. He launched off the stand-up stage to get his own MTV series (Human Giant), is now in an anxiously awaited spin-off of The Office (he clears up the plotline below), and he's been busy filming movies with the likes of Seth Rogan and Paul Rudd. Not too shabby. This weekend he returns to New York, after moving out to Los Angeles—catch his Glow in the Dark Tour (not to be confused with Kanye's) at Comix this Friday or Saturday (buy tickets).
How has LA been treating you? So far, so good. It's warm most of the time. I am very glad to be back in NYC this week though.
What do you miss most about NYC? Going to Momofuku Ssam, eating burgers at Shake Shack, and seeing my friends (in that order - sorry friends, I gotta be honest).
What can you tell us about the Office spin-off show? Is it actually a spin-off? When will it air? It originally was going to be a spin-off, but when Greg Daniels and Mike Schur were creating it, they decided to make it a separate world with no affiliation to the characters from The Office. The cast so far is myself, Amy Poehler, and Rashida Jones.
All I can say at this juncture is Rashida plays a nurse named Ann who's boyfriend has a strange injury that leads her into the world where Amy and I work. That's the only info NBC has released up until now. I can however reveal the show is exclusively sponsored by Arby's, so there are a lot of plotlines involving characters eating roast beef sandwiches and the show premieres in April.
You've recently been in a few movies, can you tell us about what the experience has been like? Very fun. I was lucky enough to get a few small roles in movies that I believe should be very funny.
In the summer, I filmed a part in "Observe and Report," a new movie about Seth Rogen being a mall cop that should be out in April. I play a lotion stand operator named Kevin that loves Chick-fil-A (a trait I brought over from my real life). I also filmed a small part in this movie "I Love You, Man" starring Paul Rudd and Jason Segel, where I play one of Rudd's fencing pals. .
In the past few months, I've been shooting on "Funny People," Judd Apatow's new movie and that has been amazing. I play a standup comedian named Randy that is very high energy in a Katt Williams like way and is obsessed about telling jokes about receiving fellatio. It's been a lot of fun, because I was able to write all my character's standup and Judd let me bring a lot of my own ideas to the character.
Unfortunately, it's not all good news. I was supposed to be the villain in "Fast and the Furious 4," but the part was recast due to creative differences between me and Paul Walker.
What is the Human Giant gang up to? Rob has gotten into wing suits and has been flying around the Himalayas for the past few months at speeds of up to 100 mph.
Paul partnered with LL Bean to create his own line of fleece based formal wear for winter. Unfortunately, it won't be out until summer 2010.
Jason, our director, has opened a dog salon called the Chateau Mar-mutt in NY and is deep in copyright litigation with the original Charteau Mar-mutt in LA.
We are also in the early stages of developing a movie idea and occasionally perform in LA as Human Giant.
What else are you working on these days? I'm hopefully going to try to record a standup album and special at the end of this tour. After that, "The Office" show will start shooting in mid-February. I'm also perfecting a new mango salsa recipe that goes great on fish tacos.
Do you have a favorite celebrity sighting or encounter? I ran into Diddy off the coast of St. Lucia while we were both on jet skis, wearing tuxedos, and a few sprays of "I AM KING" the new fragrance for men from Sean John. What are the chances? We drank a couple of Diddy's (lemonade and Ciroc Vodka) and had a good laugh.
What's your current soundtrack? James Murphy and Pat Mahoney - Fabric Live.36, Arthur Russell - Love is Overtaking Me, Neil Young - Live at Massey Hall.
Best venue to see music in NYC and LA. New York - Bowery Ballroom/Beacon Theatre. LA - Spaceland/Orpheum Theatre.
Best cheap eat in the city. (Have you been to the new Caracas in Williamsburg?!) Whoa! I haven't. I do love Caracas on 7th. For cheap eats, Shake Shack is pretty hard to beat.
Top 5 NYC restaurants. In my recent NY trips, these places have given me some great meals: Al Di La , Momofuku Ssam, Five Points (My favorite brunch!), Market Table, Lupa.
How has LA been treating you? So far, so good. It's warm most of the time. I am very glad to be back in NYC this week though.
What do you miss most about NYC? Going to Momofuku Ssam, eating burgers at Shake Shack, and seeing my friends (in that order - sorry friends, I gotta be honest).
What can you tell us about the Office spin-off show? Is it actually a spin-off? When will it air? It originally was going to be a spin-off, but when Greg Daniels and Mike Schur were creating it, they decided to make it a separate world with no affiliation to the characters from The Office. The cast so far is myself, Amy Poehler, and Rashida Jones.
All I can say at this juncture is Rashida plays a nurse named Ann who's boyfriend has a strange injury that leads her into the world where Amy and I work. That's the only info NBC has released up until now. I can however reveal the show is exclusively sponsored by Arby's, so there are a lot of plotlines involving characters eating roast beef sandwiches and the show premieres in April.
You've recently been in a few movies, can you tell us about what the experience has been like? Very fun. I was lucky enough to get a few small roles in movies that I believe should be very funny.
In the summer, I filmed a part in "Observe and Report," a new movie about Seth Rogen being a mall cop that should be out in April. I play a lotion stand operator named Kevin that loves Chick-fil-A (a trait I brought over from my real life). I also filmed a small part in this movie "I Love You, Man" starring Paul Rudd and Jason Segel, where I play one of Rudd's fencing pals. .
In the past few months, I've been shooting on "Funny People," Judd Apatow's new movie and that has been amazing. I play a standup comedian named Randy that is very high energy in a Katt Williams like way and is obsessed about telling jokes about receiving fellatio. It's been a lot of fun, because I was able to write all my character's standup and Judd let me bring a lot of my own ideas to the character.
Unfortunately, it's not all good news. I was supposed to be the villain in "Fast and the Furious 4," but the part was recast due to creative differences between me and Paul Walker.
What is the Human Giant gang up to? Rob has gotten into wing suits and has been flying around the Himalayas for the past few months at speeds of up to 100 mph.
Paul partnered with LL Bean to create his own line of fleece based formal wear for winter. Unfortunately, it won't be out until summer 2010.
Jason, our director, has opened a dog salon called the Chateau Mar-mutt in NY and is deep in copyright litigation with the original Charteau Mar-mutt in LA.
We are also in the early stages of developing a movie idea and occasionally perform in LA as Human Giant.
What else are you working on these days? I'm hopefully going to try to record a standup album and special at the end of this tour. After that, "The Office" show will start shooting in mid-February. I'm also perfecting a new mango salsa recipe that goes great on fish tacos.
Do you have a favorite celebrity sighting or encounter? I ran into Diddy off the coast of St. Lucia while we were both on jet skis, wearing tuxedos, and a few sprays of "I AM KING" the new fragrance for men from Sean John. What are the chances? We drank a couple of Diddy's (lemonade and Ciroc Vodka) and had a good laugh.
What's your current soundtrack? James Murphy and Pat Mahoney - Fabric Live.36, Arthur Russell - Love is Overtaking Me, Neil Young - Live at Massey Hall.
Best venue to see music in NYC and LA. New York - Bowery Ballroom/Beacon Theatre. LA - Spaceland/Orpheum Theatre.
Best cheap eat in the city. (Have you been to the new Caracas in Williamsburg?!) Whoa! I haven't. I do love Caracas on 7th. For cheap eats, Shake Shack is pretty hard to beat.
Top 5 NYC restaurants. In my recent NY trips, these places have given me some great meals: Al Di La , Momofuku Ssam, Five Points (My favorite brunch!), Market Table, Lupa.
My favorite bit was when he threatened the "stars" of the show. Bret asked for a red delicious apple and Aziz said "Do you want a BROWN delicious....to your face? !!" 
hahahaha