By Safiyyah Lanier, Reprinted with permission of Elan
Comedian, actor and producer Mazyiar Jobrani, better know as Maz, is witty and multitalented. A proud Iranian, he continues to break barriers with his work. Even with all the commotion in the Middle East, he has kept his focus. Whether he’s doing his Iranian vs. Arab imitations or lamenting the fact that the news never shows Iranians ‘just baking cookies,’ his work is both provocative and hilarious. With his recent tour, “The Axis of Evil”, he proves that he is growing creatively as well as professionally.
I caught up with him after a show and asked him a few questions.
Growing up Iranian in America, did you ever have issues with other children?
When I was in the 4th grade there was a 6th grader named Jim Gevonen who called me F’n I-Ranian after the hostages were taken. I had no idea what he was talking about since I was a kid. I just wanted to play soccer and hang out. Pretty crazy times.
Since your parents wanted you to be a lawyer, have they ever brought it up again after your success, or are they proud no matter what?
My parents are very supportive and very proud. I think that the reason they wanted me to be a lawyer is that they wanted me to have a secure future. Once they saw that I was doing what I loved and I was successful at it, then they were able to relax. As a matter
of fact, my mother now is one of my biggest fans. She’ll laugh at the same jokes a hundred times – even when I’m sick of them.
Do you feel that it was hard to rise as an actor/comedian, being Iranian?
You know, I never really looked at it like that. I started doing plays as a 12 year old in junior high school. I fell in love with acting then, and I would play all kinds of parts. My ethnicity was never an issue when I first fell in love with acting. Years later, when I decided to pursue it professionally in Hollywood, I first started with some pretty standard parts. In my first role I just played a security guard in a hospital on “Chicago Hope.” I had no accent and my ethnicity wasn’t an issue. As I continued to work and was offered auditions as terrorists -- that’s when it got a bit tricky. I did a few of those parts and realized I didn’t like them. Aside from that I’ve been pretty lucky to get to do parts that I’ve enjoyed. Nowadays I turn down auditions for terrorist parts. Unless someone writes a part like that that is really different and has a great message at the end, I don’t see myself playing one again.
What inspired you to develop and produce “The Axis of Evil,” your comedy tour?
We were put together by Mitzi Shore, who is the owner of the Comedy Store in Los Angeles. When she first put us together she called it “The Arabian Knights.” I brought it to the others’ attention, that Iranians aren’t Arabs and that the name doesn’t really represent correctly. Then we’d have Iranian audience members tell us the same thing. Well, after a while we started throwing some names around and that one stuck. By then we were producing our own shows. I think that in life, once you’ve got the chops, you should take on your own endeavors. Producing our own shows was one of the best things that me, Aron Kader and Ahmed Ahmed did. It got the attention of our representatives in Hollywood and helped us get our Comedy Central Special and DVD made.
I read that you were looking to produce a movie. How is that coming along?
It’s coming along great. It’s called “Jimmy Vestvood; Amerkian Hero.” You can check out the website at www.jimmyvestvood.com - it’s going to be the first Middle Eastern hero in American cinema. It’s a comedy that combines The Pink Panther with Bend it Like Beckham. It’s a project I’m very proud of and I think we’re going to start raising money to get it made within the next year or so.
Have you ever performed in Iran? If not, do you have plans to do so?
I have never performed in Iran. I can’t see myself performing there unless if there were to be more freedom of speech allowed. It would also have to be in front of an English speaking audience. Although I speak Farsi fluently, I don’t do comedy in that language.
Check out Maz’s website at www.mazjobrani.com. To see Maz in action, and for some good laughs click the video tab on his website or search Maz Jobrani on YouTube.com.
Posted March 13, 2008
Originally published by Elan, February 22, 2008
