Kumail Nanjiani

Comedian

1978-02-21

Pakistani-American comedian, actor, and writer known for Silicon Valley and for cowriting and starring in The Big Sick. He also created and starred in the Hulu series Welcome to Chippendales.

Quotes by Kumail Nanjiani

I was not a cool kid. There was no reason for me to be marginalised. I was just a nerd. I was kind of weird, and I found solace in video games.
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In popular culture, there isn't any other conception of Islam and Muslims other than what you see on the news... When you go to a theme park, you see Muslims riding roller coasters and eating ice cream. Why doesn't anybody think of those Muslims when they think of Muslims?
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I had this very strict rule when I began auditioning that I wasn't gonna do a thicker accent, because it was like, 'I can't tell if it's supposed to be funny because he talks funny.' And now I feel like there are certain characters that I could play that could involve doing a thicker accent, as long as it's specific to that character.
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I stay home. It's the best place to be alone. There is hardly any walk-through traffic.
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You just don't see Muslims being matter-of-fact Muslim. They're always defined by their Muslim-ness. We're either terrorists, or we're fighting terrorists. I remember seeing 'True Lies' and going, 'Why are we always the bad guys?'
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Stand-up is successful if they laugh. It's unsuccessful if they don't laugh.
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I thought, from watching TV and stuff, that America was one place. They only show you L.A. and New York. They don't warn you about Iowa.
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Being a fish out of water is tough, but that's how you evolve.
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My mom told us never to reveal that we were Shia in school. You would find out that some other kid was Shiite, and you would whisper, 'Hey,' or you would see someone at the mosque, and you'd be like, 'Hey, that kid's Shiite!' There was a lot of tension, a lot of violence in Karachi between Shiites and Sunnis.
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Wikipedia is kind of weird. I feel it's lame to put up my own page, but I desperately want someone else to do it.
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You can go slow. Allow your dreams and goals to change, but live an intentional life.
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