Interview: Danny Pudi Running With Support

A familiar face on the screen, both big and small, writer/performer Danny Pudi will present his autobiographical film Running on Stellar's streaming platform beginning January 22, 2022. Three South Asian-led arts organizations, Hypokrit Productions, East West Players, and EnActe Arts have collaborated on this exclusive presentation directed by HP Artistic Director Arpita Mukherjee. Had the chance to pepper Danny with a few spicy queries on what led up to his writing of Running.

Thank you for taking the time for this interview, Danny!

When did you first get the idea to write Running, a script about the relationship with your estranged father?

In the summer of 2018, I co-hosted an event called Shabash at the Lincoln Center with my friend Parvesh Cheena. The show was put together by Natasha Sinha and it was inspiring to see artists from different disciplines in one room together. During that process, Natasha asked if I had any of my own material that I wanted to workshop. It was a strange time for me. My father had recently passed away and I was struggling with how to process it. I was journaling about our relationship, and I decided to share one of the stories with Natasha, Parvesh and the Director Zi Alikhan. They were all incredibly supportive about it. It was raw and messy, but it was also healing to talk about my experience.

Was it hard to narrow down the various aspects of your paternal relationship into one entertainment sitting?

Definitely. I didn't know much about my father for most of my life. When my children started asking me questions about him, I was surprised by how little I knew about my father and how uncomfortable I felt talking about him. I found myself asking many questions, reliving funny memories, some sad memories, facing identity questions, and singing A LOT of classic Chicago commercial jingles like "Harlem furniture, you'll like our style." Getting answers became like a game to me in some ways. Once we settled on using a video game as the spine of the story, that helped me a ton and gave me a path to follow.

Did you always see Running as a film, as opposed to a stage or a television show?

I knew I wanted to tell this story, but I didn't know where or how it should exist. Soon after the Shabash event, I went to see EH DAH, a musical by Aya Aziz that Arpita Mukherjee directed. It was compelling. It was intimate.

And it reminded me of the power of theatre. After speaking with Arpita after the show, I knew we were a good match creatively, and the stage was the right place to explore the story. To kick it off, we had a workshop in Brooklyn with En Garde Arts back in early 2020, but when the pandemic began, like so many others we had to shift our plans.

Thankfully an opportunity came about with two other theatre companies East West in L.A. and EnActe in the Bay Area. Both companies aligned with our vision and helped us bring this ambitious experiment to life. Their support allowed us to keep moving forward... and it combined my love of film and theatre!

What cosmic forces brought you together with your director Hypokrit Productions founder Arpita Mukherjee?

First of all, I love the phrase "cosmic forces"...

That's how I feel this all came to be. Now please imagine I'm reading this answer with much gravitas, with a movie trailer-like vocal quality...

...

It was the year 2018...

on a patio near 72nd and Broadway in New York...

My friend Natasha Sinha put me in touch with Molly Houlahan & the Hypokrit Theatre...

Hypokrit's mission sounded exciting to me,

I drank 3, maybe 4 cups of coffee... Because I was nervous and pumped!

we discussed the idea of collaborating

I sat down with Arpita to dig deeper into the story,

I was inspired by her creative vision and energy

And

WHOOSH!

...

You spoke Polish in your childhood with your mother and grandmother. Did you learn Hindi also?

I grew up with my Polish grandparents. And it was kind of odd, but it was also a pretty magical childhood. I always felt loved and I was always encouraged to pursue the arts.

We spoke Polish at home, we listened to Polish radio, we went to Polish school on Saturdays, and we practiced incredibly difficult tongue twisters like Lezy Jerzy na wiezy i nie wierzy ze lezy na wiezy!

GOAT vocal warmup.

Unfortunately, I didn't see my father much, so I was never able to learn Telugu, which was his first language.

What was your family's reaction to you declaring, 'I want to be an actor!'?

I feel lucky because my Mom, my Babcia, my Dziadek, my siostra and my brat supported me from Day 1. And I continue to feel blessed because my wife Bridget and my children Fiona and James continue to support and inspire me every day!

What did you want to be growing up: An actor? A comedian? A writer? A director?

I had many dreams. I wanted to be a baseball player. I wanted to be a dancer. I wanted to be the Pope. I wanted to be a weatherman. I wanted to be a DJ.

I always loved making my friends and family laugh and pretending to be someone else, but I never believed a career in acting was possible. Or at least I told myself that.

In college, I took Acting 101 at Marquette with Phylis Ravel, and she immediately changed my life. She was the one who told me the dream I had was actually possible. She made me take acting seriously.

What spurred you onto taking dance classes in your college years? What kind of dance?

As a child, I was in a Polish folk dance group in Chicago called Wesoly Ludek. I didn't realize it then, but through dance, I discovered my love of being on stage, rehearsal, performance, all of it.

Years later I began dancing again through the theatre program at Marquette and it was so fun again. It was like a release, a way to get me out of my head.

I performed in a tap show, a modern dance show, some musical theatre dances like the dance at the gym from WEST SIDE STORY, and I also danced in a campus Diwali celebration. I still use movement in many ways to help me find a character. I feel so happy any time I get to dance. Dancing makes me feel like a kid.

What's your take on the evolution of diversity in theatre and in entertainment over all?

Watching shows as a kid, it was hard for me to find a character that I could point to and say, 'That's me!' And when I first began auditioning, there were not many roles for someone like me and if there was a role it often felt stereotypical or underwritten.

That has changed quite a bit. I feel so grateful to see more diverse voices on stage and screen today and to have been in many projects recently with layered and authentic characters.

I think there is still work to be done. We can continue to be more inclusive, especially behind the camera and in the writing rooms and I'd love to see more Asian-American perspectives at the center of the story. But I'm encouraged and hopeful for the next generation of kids out there.

The more perspectives we have shaping the stories and characters around us, the more authentic and interesting the stories will become.

What's in the near future for Danny Pudi?

I am about to begin filming season 3 of Mythic Quest. I love this show. I love the sinister character I get to play. And I love this ensemble so dang much. It's a goofy and intelligent crew and when we get in a room we just love to laugh together.

That's been very healing to me over the past few years.

I'm also in a few independent films that should be out sometime soon (Corner Office, American Dreamer, and Somebody I Used to Know). Each project was a very cool experience AND I grew a mustache for one of them!

Thank you again, Danny! I look forward to experiencing your Running.

For viewing tickets to see Running online beginning January 22nd through February 26th, log onto www.hypokritnyc.org/running

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