With his feature film directorial debut Good Fortune now available on Premium Digital HD, we were recently able to sit down with the one-and-only Aziz Ansari to talk about bringing his vision to life and working with the incomparable Keanu Reeves.
In our informative conversation, he walks me through his inspirations behind making the film and breaks down some of the behind-the-scenes secrets. Plus, we also talk about assembling the perfect star cast with Keanu Reeves, Seth Rogen, and Keke Palmer, amongst others.
He also talks to me about the evolution of his comedy style from his early days to this latest film and why it was important to him to bring this film to theaters, amongst other things.
The film stars Keanu Reeves (John Wick, Speed), Seth Rogen (Superbad, This Is the End), Aziz Ansari (Master of None, Parks and Recreation), Keke Palmer (Nope, Hustlers), Sandra Oh (Killing Eve, Grey’s Anatomy), Matt Rogers (Fire Island, Brigsby Bear), Felipe Garcia Martinez (Hustle, Promised Land), Stephen McKinley Henderson (Dune, Fences), Penny Johnson Jerald (24, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), and Sherry Cola (Joy Ride, Good Trouble).
Good Fortune is now available on Premium Digital and will launch on Blu-ray, DVD and an Amazon-Exclusive 4K UHD Combo Pack on December 9!
Watch our full chat below and/or keep scrolling to read the full transcription. Plus, remember to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more exclusive content!
Subscribe To My YouTube Channel
ROHAN: What went behind conceiving Good Fortune and drawing inspiration from classic films like It’s A Wonderful Life?
AZIZ: Well, you know, I spent a lot of time in LA, and I feel like a lot of the subject matter in the movie, it's all around you, in LA, and especially the wealth disparity and, you know, films like It's a Wonderful Life, or Sullivan's Travels, or Trading Places, whatever, the idea of taking one of those type of movies and doing, you know, a modern version in this moment felt, felt exciting.
ROHAN: You have a ton of experience writing, directing and performing, what about your past experiences evolved when you’re playing a more down on his luck kind of character like Arj?
AZIZ: Well, that was what was fun for me is, you know, I love doing Master of None, the series I did for Netflix, but, you know, at a certain point it's like, oh, I want to be other characters and tell other stories that don't have to do with the experiences of that guy. And so, to do this character who's so different. It was fun. And it was fun to figure out how to play this guy and what his story would be, and, yeah, that was part of the fun for me.
ROHAN: You’ve assembled an amazing cast with Keke Palmar, Seth Rogen, Sandra Oh, and, of course, Keanu Reeves - what were you looking for when putting this cast together and was it an instant realization for you when you saw them together that this was going to work?
AZIZ: Well, I started with Seth, who I knew beforehand, and he signed up, and then, we had the angel part, and Keanu came up as a suggestion, and I thought, wow, that would be incredible if we could do that. And then we met, Keanu and I, and I sent him the script, and he really responded to it, and then that was, like our kind of core trio. And then, I knew Keke from this other project, and I had her in my head, and I was hoping she would do this, and she did. And so she came on board, and then, Sandra, I had her in my head. I mean, I got really lucky where that doesn't always happen, where you write with someone in your head and then you get them, it doesn't happen very often, you know, it depends. So, I feel really lucky that we got a ball and they were all great, and they were all in the same vibe, and that they all work very hard. They really care about the work, but they're also just really genuinely nice people and are a blast to work with.
ROHAN: We’ve seen Keanu in all his huge action movies like John Wick and Speed, and he’s also obviously done comedy before with Bill and Ted, but now, having had a chance to co-star with him and to also direct him, what did you see from him that separates him from your average movie star?
AZIZ: What's cool about him is he's done so many movies, and you can just feel he's been on set longer than anybody, and he's just so dialed into just filmmaking in a way that can only come from the level of experience someone like him has. And he's just so iconic. And I don't know he just, he's just kind of an incredible guy. I mean, everybody knows about him and this folklore about him, but, you know, seeing it firsthand, he gave me so much in the movie. He spent so much time with me to work on this character and to rehearse and to, you know, talk about who this character was and to me, his performance is the core of the film, and I think he just knocked it out of the park.
ROHAN: You already have experience directing yourself, but when you are doing something like this, what kind of challenge does that present for you? Do you have to disassociate from Aziz the actor versus Aziz the director, or is it more of a back and forth?
AZIZ: I don't really think about it, because I did it so much on Master of None, that it kind of became my way of working. The only time it gets really hard, I think, is sometimes, you know, like, there's a scene in the movie where my character has a birthday party, and there's so many people there, and it's kind of a difficult scene to manage as a director, so to have to deal with that, and then, also be like, okay, I have to remember this dance I have to do, and that becomes a lot, but normally it's 95% of the time I'm just really comfortable doing it. And, you know, I've talked to Seth about this, because he does that on The Studio, and there's something that becomes kind of streamlined about it.
ROHAN: How would you describe your evolution as a comedian from your recent standup specials as well as your TV projects - Human Giant to Scrubs to Parks & Rec to Master of None -, and now, to this film Good Fortune?
AZIZ: Well, I mean, the hope is you're getting better at what you do. And, I've written other things, and, you know, all my work, I feel, is built on top of the prior stuff. So, to me, like doing Master of None is what got me the place to be able to do Good Fortune. And then, now to have Good Fortune, I've been writing other things, and I'm trying to build on what I learned.
ROHAN: Was there anything major that changed during production or was everything pretty much how you scripted?
AZIZ: No, I mean, to me, a script always is evolving, and you learn more about the project as it goes along. And, you know, I spent a lot of time with Keanu and Seth and Keke and Sandra and we really worked on, you know, dialing the characters into, you know, their performances, and to have it right, so when we got on set, we felt like we had the best version of the scene. And then, when you get to set, you improvise, because, you know, it's feels different when you're there in the moment and you see it in the camera and everything, and then what ends up on screen after you shoot everything, you edit everything, you know, the movie evolves. It's kind of the cliche of, you know, your three different movies, the movies you write, the movie you shoot, and the movie you edit, and I found it to be true.
ROHAN: I know you were very keen on bringing this movie to the theaters, which I’m glad you did because it just hits differently than a streaming release. What went behind that belief that this film was meant for theaters?
AZIZ: Well, look, I feel like I did the streaming thing with Master of None, and I feel like I'd done that. But I love going to the movie theaters. I love films, and I wanted to take a shot at kind of having a movie play in theaters. And I remember the weekend it opened, I went to the theaters in Brooklyn and in Manhattan, where it was sold out, and to see that crowd there like it was really moving, and made me feel great, and anytime we did screenings, just seeing like 300 people laughing and watching a movie together, it's just a different thing, you know, I went and saw Predator: Badlands the other day, and it was awesome. And a part of the experience was all the other people there with me, and that we were all experiencing it together. And I don't know there's like a subconscious thing where you're having a communal experience, and, you know, Good Fortune to me, you know, those crowds that saw it in the theaters, they experienced a different thing than someone that watched it at home. I mean, hopefully the people that watch at home are gonna have a great time too, but you know what I mean.
ROHAN: You’re friends with Seth Rogen, who has a different style, but like you is also among the best at what he does when it comes to comedy. What is that collaborative process like when you’re spitballing ideas with one another?
AZIZ: Yeah, well, look, he’s someone that's pulled this off, you know, he's made films that have played in theaters and worked very well. So, he would look out for the movie in a grander sense, and, when I would look at drafts, I talked to him about the ending and things like that. And he'd talk about, like, hey, this is what you need to make these movies work, and, you know, he's just really smart as a filmmaker, and so it was great to have him as a collaborator.
ROHAN: You have Keke Palmer as your love interest and she seems like a really fun person to work with. What was it like developing chemistry with her and bringing her onto this film?
AZIZ: I mean, Keke is just one of my favorite people ever, and we get along so well, and I was so excited that she was able to do this with us, and we were excited to work together, and every day she was on set, I would just light up because she's just such a warm presence, and she really loved that character, and loved that she was a fighter and that she was trying to make this change in her workplace. And I think she just really connected with that character who is kind of the heart of the film, in a way.
In Aziz Ansari’s directorial debut, GOOD FORTUNE, a well-meaning but rather inept angel named Gabriel (Keanu Reeves) observes a struggling gig worker, Arj (Aziz Ansari), who is barely making ends meet in Los Angeles, and intervenes to show him that money can't solve all his problems. Gabriel swaps Arj’s life with a wealthy venture capitalist, Jeff (Seth Rogen), but the plan backfires when Arj is convinced his newfound wealth has, in fact, solved all his problems. As Arj refuses to switch back, Jeff is left without his fortune, Gabriel loses his wings, and all three are forced to confront what it truly means to be human.