He closely studied his costars, many of whom had more experience with this kind of material: Annaleigh Ashford, who plays Somen’s wife, Irene; Robin de Jesús, as the man Somen helps enlist for a brutal crime; Juliette Lewis, as a patron who takes an immediate liking to Chippendales; and, of course, Bartlett, a magnetic standout once again following his Emmy-nominated turn in The White Lotus. Nanjiani recalls observing Bartlett’s process and, months later, employing a technique he saw of his. “I talked to [the cast] a lot about approaching specific scenes, specific emotions, how to turn things off, how to snap in and how to snap out,” Nanjiani says. “This is the advantage of working with great people. You can really, really learn from them.”

Siegel says of Nanjiani, “I love stand-up comedians as dramatic actors, because they usually are tortured souls and it finds its way out, somewhere in the performance.” The showrunner pushed his lead to go to the dark side: “He does bad things…. You could say, Well, this is a negative portrayal of an Indian guy, but you could also choose to look at it like it subverts the stereotype of the model minority.” Coshowrunner Jenni Konner (Girls) adds, “Seeing [Kumail] do this kind of work, which is not his wheelhouse, was astonishing. The commitment to the role really blew my mind.”