Aziz Ansari on Parks and Rec, Master of None & Living in London

What happens when one of the world’s biggest comedians swaps Hollywood for a flip phone and a quieter life?

Comedian, writer, actor and director Aziz Ansari joins Romesh Ranganathan for a wide-ranging conversation about stand-up, identity, culture, creativity and getting older.

From selling out Madison Square Garden to creating one of the most renowned Netflix comedy-dramas, Master of None, Aziz reflects on the pressure of chasing great work. He discusses his career from starting in stand-up, to Parks And Recreation, to directing his new film Good Fortune starring Keanu Reeves and Seth Rogen, looking at how the comedy scene has changed over time.

The pair also discuss growing up in immigrant families, blending cultures, working with parents and all-things UK, from settling in to football culture. Plus Aziz's passion for cooking and cookbooks.

As always expect an unhinged questions from Shanthi and a good game of Misquoted finish.

A Ranga Bee Production in partnership with Platform.

00:00 Intro

03:39 Have Aziz and Rom met?

04:05 Tamil and blending cultures

12:38 On age

13:38 A gift for Aziz

15:49 Can Aziz handle hot sauce?

17:20 Moving to the UK

18:05 Football

19:22 On Master of None

25:55 Parents and support

31:34 Working with parents

34:09 A question from Shanthi

36:10 Selling out Madison Square Garden

37:00 Finding creative balance

39:22 Stand up in New York

43:56 How has Aziz’s standup changed?

50:50 On Parks And Recreation

57:10 How hard is it to make a movie?

1:01:57 Chasing your best work

1:03:42 Misquoted

1:12:30 An exclusive

1:15:25 Outro

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices