What can we expect from the second season of Ramy?
We really get into a lot of fun things between [my character] and this new character, played by Mahershala Ali. That dynamic is something I’m really pumped for people to see.
Why do you think it’s so important to tell stories of the immigrant experience right now?
What I’m more interested in seeing is an immigrant family deal with problems of their own making and people who are messy and complicated because it humanizes them. I don’t really want to talk about the debate as to why we should be respected or valued, I’m more interested in just showing our value.
Why was it important to make your character a person of faith?
Because I don’t see it. Everyone’s wrestling with the idea of that higher self and how to be it. I wanted to show these small moments that I think are super-specific to this Arab Muslim dude in New Jersey.
Do you think you benefit more from being on a streaming platform rather than a network?
This show only exists because of streaming. Before streaming, you had to be a huge touring comic—they’ve got to see how your special goes, they’ve got to do all these things. Streaming completely fucks with the format and in the best way because they get to take a risk.
