Exclusive

How Insecurity Influenced Kumail Nanjiani's Welcome to Chippendales Performance

Welcome to Chippendales stars Kumail Nanjiani and Murray Bartlett spoke to E! News about the Hulu series, describing it as an "unexpected true crime on steroids."

By Cydney Contreras Oct 18, 2022 8:43 PMTags
Watch: Welcome to Chippendales Cast Talks New Hulu Series

Prepare to see Kumail Nanjiani like you've never seen him before.

In the upcoming Hulu series Welcome to Chippendales—which is based on true events and premieres Nov. 22—the Eternals star transforms into Somen "Steve" Banerjee, an Indian immigrant who created the now-famous Chippendales dance group, alongside Murray Bartlett's Nick de Noia. It's a role that changed the way Nanjiani thinks about masculinity, as Banerjee is a character who is uncomfortable with vulnerability.

"I think a lot of men are disconnected from their inner lives and have a hard time admitting their emotions, even labeling what they're feeling," Nanjiani told E! News in an exclusive interview. "I think that then can come out in aggressive, even violent ways, if you're not processing the grief you're feeling, if you're not processing your sadness, or your fear."

This understanding of a "certain kind of masculinity," Nanjiani said, informed his performance of the sometimes discomforting character, who, in real life, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit extortion and murder in 1993. He added, "He's a guy who was completely cut off from his inner life, from his emotions. He's very scared of what he is, and he doesn't like himself."

photos
2022's True Crime Dramas, Ranked

Though Nanjiani finds Banerjee's behavior to be "harmful to the person and to society as a whole," he understands the character's discomfort with his own body. Nanjiani, who has previously spoken about feeling insecure about his figure, said, "I understood what it felt like to not like the vessel you're in. It's a feeling I can really, really relate to."

Erin Simkin/Hulu

To portray this feeling on-screen, Nanjiani said he imagined Banerjee would move like RoboCop—just "not as cool," according to the actor. 

However, this stiff, robotic movement had an adverse effect on Nanjiani, who formed a tight, painful knot under his shoulder during filming. "Certainly in specific scenes, it would hurt more and more," he shared. "I was like, that's where Steve lives. I can't get rid of this knot until I wrap."

In contrast, Bartlett's character Nick, a world-renowned choreographer who took the Chippendales on tour, is confident and comfortable in his own skin.  "Kumail was talking about Steve hating himself," Bartlett said. "I think Nick loves himself, but has an inner life that he's hiding from everybody."

Bartlett said that Nick's ability to suppress his insecurities puts his character at odds with Steve, explaining, "I think it's a little infuriating to Steve because he's really disconnected from his body. And you can see he's very stiff, whereas Nick is very fluid and comfortable with movement."

Erin Simkin/Hulu

This discussion of masculinity and insecurity sounds very intense, but Bartlett and Nanjiani said the series is a scintillating exploration of the true crime story behind Chippendales. Specifically, Bartlett described it as an "unexpected true crime story on steroids."

Whether you're looking to see shirtless men or you're interested in deception, Nanjiani said it's got something for everyone. "That's what's great about it," he explained. "It's about all these big, heavy, dark things, but it's also just a really fun show."

The first two episodes of Welcome to Chippendales premiere Nov. 22 on Hulu.

Get the drama behind the scenes. Sign up for TV Scoop!