Aziz Ansari felt betrayed when this Indian character who inspired him turned out to be white
Ansari just wrote an article for the New York Times in which he tracks down the actor whose role had left a huge impression on a young Ansari. He played the first Indian character Ansari ever saw in an American film: scientist Benjamin Jarhvi in "Short Circuit 2."
"Seeing an Indian character in a lead role had a powerful effect on me, but it was only as I got older that I realized what an anomaly it was," the actor wrote. "I rarely saw any Indians on TV or film, except for brief appearances as a cabdriver or a convenience store worker literally servicing white characters who were off to more interesting adventures. This made 'Short Circuit 2' special."
Imagine Ansari's disappointment when he found out in college that a white actor named Fisher Stevens played the role of Benjamin.
"As a child, I thought the villain of the film was Oscar Baldwin, the banker who tricks Johnny 5 into helping him commit a jewel heist," he said. "As an adult, I thought the bad guy was actually Mr. Stevens, who mocked my ethnicity."
For the article, Ansari tracked down Stevens to find out how he felt about the deception. Turns out, he hadn't taken the role lightly. At first, Stevens was cast as a white graduate student, but the character was changed to an Indian scientist. He studied with a dialect coach, read R.K. Narayan's "The Guide" and Hermann Hesse's "Siddhartha," took yoga, and lived in India for a month ahead of shooting.
Ansari concluded, "After a long conversation, I can confirm Mr. Stevens is not a villain, but was, when he took the role, a well-intentioned if slightly misguided young actor who needed a job during a more culturally insensitive time."
In fact, Stevens said he wouldn't accept the role if offered it today.
Ansari wasn't done righting the non-diverse ship that is entertainment. He appeared on Tuesday's "Late Show with Stephen Colbert" and was happy to announce that by sharing the stage with the "Parks and Recreation" star, Colbert had a "50 percent diversity rate."
"Like an all-time high for CBS!" the actor joked.
And when Colbert got the name of Ansari's romance book wrong, Ansari suggested that someone is going to be fired. To which Colbert answered, "My God, I hope it's a white guy."
Watch the interview below.