Aziz Ansari says he loves shooting in New York City. There’s the free food, there are the strange passersby who aren’t afraid of a little exposure, and there are the moments when revered indie directors might just happen to be in your neighborhood. The “Master of None” star was speaking at the Gotham
Awards on Nov. 28, where he received the “Made In New York” prize.
Ansari, who also won an Emmy alongside co-creator Alan Yang for their Netflix series, expressed his love for New York City-based production during his acceptance speech at the awards ceremony, CBS News reported.
“You guys know how boring it is to shoot somewhere and have zero chance of ruining a take because someone is urinating? Or someone is yelling, ‘Aziz!’ in the middle of a long one-ner?” he told the audience.
When Ansari and Yang first talked about creating “Master of None” years ago, Ansari recalled they were in Los Angeles shooting for “Parks and Recreation,” and were talking about the television show they both wanted to do together. “We only wanted to do 10 episodes – no more – and I wanted to shoot the show in New York,” the 33-year-old said.
“I really do feel like I was made in New York,” Ansari said. “If I did not move here, I would not have this career that I have, that I love and that excites me every day, and I really do feel like I owe it all to the city of New York. He moved to New York in 2000 to go to school at NYU. “Without New York, I would probably be living in South Carolina,” he said.
Ansari began his career performing stand-up comedy in New York City during mid-2000 while attending New York University. In 2007, he created and starred in the MTV sketch comedy show “Human Giant”, which ran for two seasons. He has also acted in feature films, including “Funny People”, “I Love You Man”, “Observe and Report” and “30 Minutes or Less”.
In addition to his acting work, Ansari has continued to work as a stand-up comedian. He released his debut CD/DVD, entitled “Intimate Moments for a Sensual Evening” in January 2010 on Comedy Central Records. In 2010 and 2011, he performed his “Dangerously Delicious” tour. He completed his third major tour of new material, “Buried Alive” in the summer of 2013. His fourth major comedy special, “Live at Madison Garden” was released on Netflix in 2015. His first book, “Modern Romance: An Investigation, was released in June 2015.
