Karan Soni

Actor and writer Karan Soni has quietly become one of the most recognizable faces in acting and comedy over the last decade, thanks to standout roles in Deadpool, Deadpool 2, Deadpool & Wolverine, Abbott Elementary, Miracle Workers, Pokémon Detective Pikachu, and 7 Days - but this conversation reveals the person underneath all of that success in a way that's funny, vulnerable, and unexpectedly deep. Karan and I bounce between stories about immigrating to America, obsessing over The O.C., terrible first acting jobs, celebrity encounters gone horribly wrong, and the weird emotional baggage that comes with wanting to be accepted. Karan talks openly about coming out to his family after moving from India to USC, the culture shock of seeing openly queer couples for the first time, and the therapist who helped change the trajectory of his relationship with his parents. We also get into representation in Hollywood, why South Asians sometimes struggle to support each other creatively, the pressure of being "the Indian guy" in a room, and how Deadpool unexpectedly changed his relationship with fame and visibility. Along the way there are stories involving porta-potties, sweaty handshakes, police officers who love Marvel movies, and one truly catastrophic interaction with Ben McKenzie that somehow becomes one of the funniest moments in the entire episode. Follow Karan Soni:IMDb Instagram