Aziz Ansari, star of hit Netflix show Master of None, recently appeared on Conan where he discussed the beef he has with his parents over pork and had a confrontation with the famed robot Number 5 (later in the movie called Johnny 5) from the movie Short Circuit.
In one episode of Master of None, Ansari addresses the issue of racial problems on TV surrounding Indians and the Indian culture. The episode in question puts a particular focus on a movie from the actor's childhood, Short Circuit, in which Fisher Stevens plays the lead role of the Indian character, Ben Jabituya. Stevens was able to play the part convincingly through intense research of the Indian culture and language, and by putting brownface makeup on every day before shooting began.
Before this particular episode of Master of None aired, Ansari was asked by the New York Times to write an article for them about his experience with racism in Hollywood. He agreed, but before writing the article, he actually gave Stevens a call. In the article, Ansari admits, "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. As an adult, I thought the bad guy was actually Mr. Stevens, who mocked my ethnicity." By the end of the call, Ansari decided Stevens was not at all racist and had meant no offense.
Stevens was just a young actor -- 21 at the time -- trying to make a living and no one at the time realized how insensitive they were being.
"Perhaps hoping for a repeat experience, Conan arranged for Aziz to settle things with the movie's other star." As Johnnie 5 rolled onto the stage, Ansari's shock was evident. There was a brief back and forth as Johnny 5 confused Ansari with Stevens' Short Circuit character in which Ansari pointed out how racist it was for Johnny to assume that as an Indian, he would talk "like an Indian." Ansari then proved his point by imitating stereotypical robot speak and asking why Johnny 5 didn't talk like that.
The short confrontation ended with Johnnie inviting Ansari for a drink at Jumbo's Clown Room, a famous Hollywood dance club.
Ansari also regaled the audience with a story of a completely different feud he recently had with his parents over pork. They are devoutly Muslim. Ansari, not so much. During his parent's two-week stay in New York, Ansari's folks found out their son eats pork, which is against their religion. When confronted, Ansari's response, "I'm 32 and I do what I want," sounded a bit on the meek side.
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