An Interview with Brian George from ‘Deli Boys’

Brian George as Ahmed in ‘Deli Boys’. (Photo Courtesy of James Washington/Disney/Hulu.)

Brian George is a highly accomplished actor that has appeared in a host of television shows and films over the course of his illustrious career. Currently, he stars as Ahmed on the new Hulu series, Deli Boys, and we had the honor of sitting down with Brian to discuss his work on the show.  
 
John Betancourt: I Would love to start by getting to know what it was that attracted you to this project.
 
Brian George: They offered it to me.
 
John Betancourt: Easy enough.
 
Brian George: They said, “Do you want to work?” I said, “Yeah.” They said, “Fine, here
you go.” (Laughter​) And, well, the plus side is, it’s also hilarious.
 
John Betancourt: One of the best parts about this show that I've enjoyed, is the comedy, first, but also the depth of the characters, including Ahmed, and I'm curious how you found his essence and his depth as an actor.
 
Brian George: You know you only know so much when you get a pilot. I can only fill in so many gaps. It's a pilot. And you hope to God that the thing that you guessed is on the right path. But then also the writers are seeing you and how you operate, and your way of expressing, and your way of interpreting, and so they're writing for you. So that helps. And then you get thrown, some curve balls, you know, you get some information four or five episodes in that is like, completely different. And you go, “How does that play with what I've done before? How do I have to adjust? How do I adjust?” So, yeah, there's all that you know so, but you know, because they're figuring it out as they're going along.
 
John Betancourt: You would have fooled me, because it seems like you’ve played him, forever.
 
Brian George: Well, thank you very much. Hopefully that's some experience paying off.
 
John Betancourt: I'm also curious what it means to this is a really refreshing and just unique project, and what it means to be part of it, be part of something that is so special.
 
Brian George: It means everything. So, look to go on a set, to go to work and look forward to it, and to go what fresh, not hell, but what fresh experience, what are we going to do today? Because this is too much fun. You know, it's like you go, “pinch me.” At this stage in my career, to have this kind of experience, absolutely wonderful.
 
John Betancourt: Obviously there is just so much to this first season, storytelling wise, I mean, you got all this wondrous comedy, you've got all these beautiful messages and all this incredible depth to it. What are you most excited as a whole, for audiences to experience when they get a chance to settle in and watch this.
 
Brian George: Just the sheer enjoyment of it. For one thing, just fall in love with it. Hopefully, you know, fall in love with the characters. Just, and hopefully the whole, you know, the South Asian thing becomes secondary. It just becomes like the color, literally and figuratively, the coloring of the story, not what it's about, even though we can deal with stuff about being immigrants, and deal with stuff like I love, as I said before, not to you, but the scene in the Indian restaurant, the whole Pakistani and Indian tension, I thought that was beautifully realized. I thought… there's enough said. It's dumb.
 
John Betancourt: You mentioned a minute ago, the challenges and kind of finding that pivot with your character, and obviously, you know, you relish in it, because you're such a great actor. But I'm curious what you enjoyed the most about playing your character.
 
Brian George: Oh, he's just so petulant and childish. He's just so needy. He's a needy gangster. Wannabe gangster, but he actually is a gangster. He's just such a child. It's just like it's so much fun to play the, what he does, versus how he feels, you know, which is so needy.
 
John Betancourt: The last question that I have for you today, if you had to describe the series in a single word. What would that word be?
 
Brian George: Lord, a single word. Well, I can't do a single word, but, you know, The Sopranos meets Keystone Cops is the best I can come up with.
 
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.