Comedian Maz Jobrani ( @MazJobrani) has turned his heritage into a comedy goldmine. His latest book, just out in paperback, is 'I'm Not A Terrorist But I've Played One On TV.' And in his latest film project, 'Jimmy Vestvood: Amerikan Hero,' a film he co-wrote and stars in, he takes PC levels to the limit. Jobrani joined Jim on Wednesday night to discuss his latest projects, politics and comedy.
On Making Jokes About Donald Trump
Jobrani said the Trump candidacy is good for comedians. "You don't have to write material," he said. "You just repeat what he said and people laugh." He called Trump "Bush on steroids."
On His New Film, 'Jimmy Vestvood: Amerikan Hero'
The story is that a man comes to America, and he wants to be a cop like McQueen was in the movie 'Bullet.' However, due to current American sentiments toward immigrants, he can only get a job as a security guard at a Persian grocery store. "It's a comedy," Jobrani laughed. And somehow his character gets himself embroiled in a plot to start World War III, and he must save the world.
Jobrani said that moments in the film are like "life imitating art, or art imitating life in a lot of ways." An example he noted was his character speaking in Arabic on a plane, and others on board thinking he is a terrorist.
On Playing A Terrorist On TV
Early in Jobrani's career, he took a couple of terrorist parts. However, he has stopped recently. He said that saying no to those roles actually helped his career. "I think in Hollywood, they get shocked when you say no to them." He joked that now people take him more seriously, and he plays falafel shop owners.
On Performing Comedy In The Middle East
"When I've done shows in the Middle East, a lot of those people had been waiting for somebody with their background to do stand-up comedy in English. And I think they like to hear the jokes," Jobrani said. He explained that at many venues, the promoters tell him that he can do whatever he wants on stage, as long as it's not sex, religion or politics. Jim joked that it's a "short show."
