When youre an immigrant kid, youre also caught between two cultures. Have something to tell us about this article? And there's just a real shameless quality to the character that made me laugh, just in exploring exactly how far is he willing to go to be popular does even he have a limit? I wanted to play Middle Eastern characters who were funny, nuanced, and flawed. Starring as the titular character in this coming-of-age tale, Pedrad, who also created the series, brings to life an awkward 14-year-old Persian boy whose main goal is to achieve popularity in his freshman year. Thats how I landed on Chad. "Teenagers don't know what's so funny about being a teenager, whereas an adult could bring that perspective and specificity to the character.". Recently, Nasim Pedrad has been in a number of films, including the 2019 blockbuster Aladdin remake, in which she plays Dalia, the funny and playful handmaiden to Princess Jasmine (Naomi Scott). With her new TBS show, Chaddebuting April 6Pedrad plays the title character, a Persian teenager desperately trying to fit in with his peers and be accepted by any means necessary. _____Empowerment Coach. Teenagers are already struggling to define their identity and feel accepted by their peers, she told the outlet. But you know it's coming from such a desperate place that hopefully you can empathize with him and just laugh at it. [Laughs] I wrote the first draft of this five years ago. Copyright 2023 Meredith Corporation. So, why is Chad played by a girl? ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: I need to start with a very important question: Why?! He couldn't pull that off even if he knew about. We've attempted Chad in skinny jeans, and it really doesn't translate. 1 yr. ago Pen15 is a great show about two 7th grade girls and and they're played by the writers who are in their mid thirties. How long were you in hair and makeup each day? Before Chad found its home with TBS, Nasim said FOX initially commissioned a pilot episode in 2016 but ultimately passed on the series. And aside from that, it was just so helpful for me because these kids were so good and played it so straight and so earnest that you really believe that they are talking to a boy. where did the dursleys go to escape the letters; why is chad played by a woman; 30 . Unfortunately, the show was canceled after just 13 episodes due to poor ratings and reviews, with Mulaney describing it as his "noble failure"toNew Times. Nasim Pedrad of Chad talks to Awards Daily about how hair and makeup helped with improvising on set of the TBS comedy series and the research she did to get into Chad's Lebrons. In addition to bringing one of Pedrad's most absurd characters to prime time, Chad will also reflect the dual struggles of finding yourself in high school and attempting to assimilate into a new culture and country. There have been so many different high school shows throughout the years, but what did you think was missing from how this crucial time in everyone's lives has been portrayed that you wanted to bring to it? "The producers were always like, 'Hey, what about this week you play a pretty gal?' What We Could See Next, New Amsterdam Bosses Explain Where Series Finale Left Maxs Love Life, Todd & Julie Chrisley Officially Report to Prison, Marilu Henner Joins NCIS: Los Angeles as Kilbrides Ex-Wife, Meryl Streep Joins Only Murders in the Building Season 3, Copyright 2023 NTVB Media, Inc., All Rights Reserved, Nasim Pedrads Chad Season 2 Gets Rescued by Roku, Ask Matt: Chads Vanishing Act and the Future of Scripted Cable, Kenan Thompson, Kate McKinnon & More 'SNL' Stars Branching Out on TV. She eventually became a significant presence on the show, contributing plenty of offbeat laughs to the notoriously quirky series. I obviously believed in it and stuck with it, but I'd be lying to you if I didn't say it feels like nothing short of a miracle that I'm here talking to you today with the first season under my belt. from 2007 to 2009, where she played Nurse Suri. And I just thought you could push the comedy so much further if you had an adult who is in on the joke playing the teen at the center of the coming-of-age story. Like you made sure to not have another big character trying to compete with him. Why The Main Character From Chad Looks So Familiar. this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines. What was it like acting opposite actual teenagers? I knew it was a swing, but I also knew it could work. And I think any teenager can relate to the need to fit in; teenagers are already struggling to find their identity and feel accepted by their peers, but then when you're an immigrant kid it's almost like you have this extra obstacle in your effort to fit in because you and your parents are assimilating into a new culture at the same time you're learning about prom, you're learning about what's appropriate to bring as a high school lunch. It becomes an extra obstacle in the gauntlet of high school.. Yeah, it's funny, people expect it to be a lot longer, but when you take away all the makeup elements that girls usually have to do, it weirdly evens out to a similar time. "I really wanted to create something I knew I could have a lot of fun playing. Nasim Pedrad has explained to Entertainment Weekly that she wanted to sculpt a character she could have fun playing and she genuinely felt that she could make the choice work. You remember in the pilot there's a moment where he really just starts to break down, and you realize that all of this posturing can read really thirsty and desperate but there's something behind that, which is this very universal desire at that age to fit in. Because you need to find the balance of not making him look cool while he's also desperately trying to appear cool. Name of lake Chad takes its origin from the local Kanuri Language, in Kanuri language Chad means 'a large. How does he talk? Once he ended his seven-year engagement, he then moved on with his co-star from "Chosen," Sarah Roemer. I thought we could push the. You mention grounding Chad, who is a very big character, so was it important to surround him with these normal, rational people? The information shared above about the question, 1.Nasim Pedrad Plays a 14-Year-Old Boy in Her New Show Chad, 2.Nasim Pedrad on creating Chad and becoming a 14-year-old boy, 3.Nasim Pedrad finds her inner boy as Chad: Its such a universal , 4.CHAD Review: Nasim Pedrad WHY!?!?! Oh my God, I wish I could explain why I feel so seen in the very unbalanced psyche of an awkward 14-year-old boy. Pointing out the absurdity of seeing her play a "small man," Pedrad described her appearance as Ansari as "disturbing. (She's 38. Five years after she left Saturday Night Live, Nasim Pedrad is set to play her most unexpected character yet. Some people liked it just not enough," Mulaney said. Per The Wrap,Chaddebuted as the "top-rated cable scripted comedy" of 2021. Nasim is the creator, showrunner, writer, producer, and leading actor in Chad (yes, she wears all of the hats), and she's said in interviews that she wanted to create a character who she felt she could really embody somehow, that resulted in a 14-year-old boy. To revisit this article, select My Account, thenView saved stories. The brunette beauty is Saturday Night Live alum known for her spot-on impressions of Aziz Ansari and Arianna Huffington, but left the sketch series. "I've played male characters before, but I wanted to make something that felt very honest and grounded, and especially with the wig and the eyebrows, the posture and the slight dropping of my voice, I felt like I could really disappear into this little dude," Pedrad told Entertainment Weekly. But Nasim, who has portrayed multiple male characters in her sketches with SNL prior to Chad, said she was very insistent on the premise she pitched. Mostly because I looked enough like a little boy and they couldn't put their finger on what wasn't right. Pedrad, a child of immigrants from Iran, said Chad's Middle Eastern identity adds another layer to his high school experience since he not only has to wrestle with universal teenage woes, but the specific anxieties of trying to fit in when your cultural background doesn't match everyone around you. His classmates are pretty progressive, and they almost don't even notice him, which to him is weirdly worse. I couldn't do it, I had to jump ahead a few seconds. Without them, sometimes with the wig it's like, "Is that Kris Jenner?" Mostly with my friends and family, and then here and there on SNL but that's a very different thing. But while it may seem like an unconventional choice, Nasim said it was a decision based on comedy and metaphor. Nasim Pedrad has gone from starring on New Girl to transforming into a new boy. For five years, Pedrad has tried to make Chad, her new TBS comedy in which she, a 39-year-old woman, plays the title character, an awkward 14-year-old boy who will do whatever it takes to fit in. Every weekend we would rent Rocky and watch it and then start beating the crap out of each other for fun. Its also worth addressing that Nasim has portrayed male characters before, so its likely that this experience gave her the confidence to predict that the decision would work for both her and audiences. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. By joining TV Guide, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy. Yes, the character of Chad is actually portrayed by a woman who is 39 years old. One thing the show does explore that you havent necessarily seen in other coming-of-age stories is that Chads not cool, but hes also not being actively bullied. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. It becomes an extra obstacle in the gauntlet of high school." Chad is a Persian boy trying to find his way in an American high school, and Nasim's family immigrated to the U.S. from Iran when she was only 3 and faced similar struggles. I also wanted the show to be modern in the sense that it's not even like Chad is being bullied. Pedrad who was born in Iran is uniquely qualified to combine those worlds, as she used classic sitcoms and SNL as a way to understand American culture when she was growing up. Doing a sketch is completely different from creating a character that's supposed to sustain a half-hour narrative that people are expected to resonant with and buy and relate to and empathize with. Follow the trials and tribulations of a 14-year-old boy who just wants to be popular when Chad premieres April 6 on tbs. #WhoIsChad #ChadAd pic.twitter.com/kGYd2wjcuA. First, BMC Public Health explains that women with lower levels of education are more likely to . in 2020, Pedrad got her first lead film role, playing the character of Wesley in Netflix's comedy Desperados. After all, nothing is more universal than the feeling that you don't quite fit in. I think teenagers are already struggling to find their identity and feel accepted by their peers, but then as an immigrant kid you're also sort of caught between these two cultures and it's almost like this extra obstacle to get through. Rather you have his best friend Peter [Jake Ryan] and Uncle Hamid [Paul Chahidi], who are two of the sweetest characters I've ever seen on TV and I just want nothing but good things for them. Don't Worry, 'Big Mouth' Fans: Season 5 Is Happening, Meet 'Big Mouth's Newest Character, Natalie, 31 Going on 13? I tried to illustrate that in my above response: the female Chad isn't necessarily promiscuous. Yes,Chad is actually played by a 39-year-old woman. For example, she previously told TV Guide I knew I could disappear into looking like a boy with hair and makeup a lot easier than I could a girl.. Shes someone who knows how to go big with her performances: Its what made her sketches on Saturday Night Live so memorable, and what made her stand out among an epic cast in this summers Aladdin. Because teenagers don't know what's so funny about being a teenager, whereas an adult could bring that perspective and specificity to the character. How did you get in the mind of a 14-year-old boy? It was really important to me that the students around Chad were all actual 14-year-olds, or close to it. 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