First off, what projects should we be aware of that you’re working on now?
Well, I just finished shooting season one of an Apple series. I signed an NDA so I don’t think I can give away the name of the series or many details yet, but it includes Olivia Munn, Jon Hamm and Amanda Peet. I have a re-occurring character. It’s a great series directed by the same person who directed Banshee.
You play the saxophone, sing and act – plus produce and write songs – where did your interest in the arts come from and did someone specific help mentor you most to be able to do so much?
I sure did. I grew up in Delmont – born and raised. I’m a Pittsburgher and started singing when I was very young. My parents saw music talent in me at an early age – when I was five. They are from South Indian descent – they immigrated to America in the 60s and moved to Pittsburgh in the 70Fs. In our culture there’s a real deep connection to music and the arts. They got me voice lessons and enrolled me with a music teacher – Nancy Burke – she was out of Greensburg and worked with a number of semi-professional children’s groups.
I started when I was five – we sang country western songs, gospel, pop, Christmas songs – all over Westmoreland County. We’d do festivals, parties – even some corporate events.
Somewhere along the way I started working with the Civic Light Opera – they had a young people’s group- the Mini-Stars. I auditioned and was able to get in. Zach Quinto and Billy Porter came from those groups as well.
How did the acting begin?
I started singing in the Junior Mendelssohn choir. Robert Page was one of the founders – he was also the Pittsburgh Symphony conductor and a professor at CMU. He encouraged me. I got more private lessons and went to art school at CMU – Robert was one of my professors there.
From there, at 18 I became a professional artist. I got my Equity card when I started with the Civic Light Opera. I worked in St. Louis, Atlanta, Houston and when I did a cattle call when I was in New York for Miss Saigon, I learned I got the part 18 days later and was acting on Broadway.
As a someone who was born in Pittsburgh and went to CMU, how did growing up in Pittsburgh influence your music and acting careers?
The thing about Pittsburgh that is so wonderful is that, even though we think of it as the Steel City, the Carnegies, Heinz’s and Mellons – they all endowed the arts so heavily and we are still seeing the benefits of that today.
Today, it still trickles down to the kids who get the benefit of the community outreach those groups do. The world-class arts education in a town like Pittsburgh is amazing. If I grew up in another town I don’t know if I would have experienced that critical mass of arts education and opportunities that helped me get where I am today.
Do you have a preference between the different things you do?
Not really. The thing about it is, the ability to make a living as a job-to-job person instead of working for a corporation – you get to have all of those creative outlets and make money in ways that are fun for me. I like being able to do a diverse amount of things because it lets me do all of that.
Was there a time you felt that you made it – did you get to a certain point you felt like that at all?
When I started on Broadway with the Bollywood musical – I did that working with a composer that at the time only people in Asia really knew well. But that was A.R. Rahman, the composer for Slumdog Millionaire. That was for me the culmination of so much work I had started since I was five years old. To become the lead of a Broadway musical….
At that point, that was a good platform to move forward. Life in the arts is an up and down game, to be honest, unless you’re someone like Tom Cruise. It’s all relative. I feel fortunate to make a living in a career I love and to work on incredible projects. I’ve worked with Steven Sondheim twice, Andrew Lloyd Webber and now Jon Hamm, who is just a terrific guy to work with.
How did you adjust from Broadway and live plays to TV and Movies – there’s a big difference right?
I feel like it’s all about the lens you’re looking through. On Broadway it’s a big, wide shot – as they say, you are playing for the back of the house. The people are always far away.
When you’re filming TV or a movie, the camera is right there. It’s very intimate. It takes a lot of practice to understand where to position yourself. My first movie was Love Guru, with Michael Myers. I was like his Mini-Me in that movie. He’d go and watch the shots they took in the film room at the end of the day and I’d go with him and learned so much doing that.
What did you learn?
Just how big the shot is. Is it a close-up or wide-shot – that changes things. Myers’ comedy was more theatrical – at least then it was. I was there the entire time – throughout the entire movie. It was interesting to think about how to react – where I had to move my eyes and head for certain takes and reactions. That was all based on the camera – where I was in relation to it and the other actors. That helped me to understand that more. It’s difficult to understand how wide a shot is and to know where to hitch your performance, so to speak.
You’ve acted in the Sopranos, Law & Order, Grey’s Anatomy, The Blacklist….how does that process work for shows like that and what were those sets like?
It’s always about relationships – it’s a relationship business. Especially doing films. The leadership trickles down in the set – in TV too. My parts – everything I’ve done was enjoyable. I enjoy talking to everyone and being on the sets.
What experiences stand out most to you?
Talking to Sir Ben Kinglsey. He is one-half South Asian. I was able to pick his brain and ask him if he ever experienced a glass ceiling due to his background. He was very open and forthright – he told me it never really happened to him but he just focused on his talent and hard work to break any that might have existed.
Michael Myers too – the leadership he showed and work ethic. His comedy – he was more like a mad scientist – but in a great way. You go into things like working with him or SNL thinking these are all just great improvisors and they are just naturally funny people. But they work hard to make things funny and are incredibly good. It’s like a science experiment – you have to work on it and get all the things just right to get the right result. All those big stars- they work so hard. They work 18 hours a day on set and many are producing too. So they have to do that and lead the set and people and set the tone.
Changing gears – are you a sports fan? Any good sports memories?
I’m a huge sports fan. Pittsburgh teams only. Growing up in Pittsburgh you can’t not be a sports fan. It’s the common language of everyone. My mom had banners she hung up over our garage for big games – it was just part of being a Pittsburgher!
One of my most memorable days were seeing Dan Marino in the Sugar Bowl. I was a huge Pitt fan and of CMU of course. The Pirates – I could take all day about them – I just hope someone like Mark Cuban buys them some day.
In high school my band teacher would have us go to games. I remember running up and down the aisle when Bonds hit a game-winning home run. Drabek, Bonilla…I was a big fan.
I’m also a big Tomlin fan – the leadership he shows. When people want to work for you that says a lot. I can’t imagine the pressure coaches like that go through, but he’s a leader of men and gets that his men are beyond just football players.
Do you talk to other Pittsburgh actors/artists about sports?
Tamara Tuni is a big Steelers fan – she’s the medical examiner on Law & Order – she’s from Pittsburgh and we talk football all the time and go to each other’s houses for games. Anybody who’s from Pittsburgh -sports is an instant connection!