00:00Hi, this is Mariah Gullow from The Hollywood Reporter, and this is Meet Your Nominee.
00:04I have with me Emily V. Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani, nominated for Best Original Screenplay for
00:10The Big Sick.
00:11That's right.
00:11Meet us.
00:13Why?
00:14Okay, so question.
00:15Question to you.
00:16This is the best movie idea that's come out of your real life.
00:20I think we can say that knowing that you've been nominated for an Oscar.
00:24I guess so, yeah.
00:24I would say that's true.
00:25Probably true, yeah.
00:26Yes.
00:26So, do you have a real life event that might be the worst movie idea?
00:31Oh!
00:32Most of our days are terrible movie ideas.
00:34I think, because most days are boring.
00:36Yeah.
00:37And you don't want to watch that as a movie unless it's like an art piece.
00:41It'll be just us watching movies and playing video games and doing interviews.
00:45Yeah.
00:46One time someone talked to my sister about tomatoes when we were younger, and she started throwing
00:52up because she hates tomatoes, and then that made my neighbor throw up, which then made
00:55me throw up.
00:56So then it's just literally like four or five young preteen girls vomiting on a driveway.
01:02That probably would be a bad movie.
01:04I think that could be a good movie.
01:05The whole time I was like, oh, I guess we have our next project.
01:08A vomit story?
01:09Yeah.
01:10Just like a group throw up.
01:10Dog food and tomatoes.
01:12If you just talk about those around my sister, she will hurl.
01:14Yeah.
01:14And then it did inspire, like in-
01:17An orgy of Puke.
01:18Yeah, like in Stand By Me.
01:19Stand By Me.
01:19Yeah.
01:20Similar.
01:20So that's already been done.
01:21We can't even do it.
01:22Ah, and it's a small part of a big great movie, so.
01:25Whereas that would be the entire movie.
01:26But now we're taking a magnifying glass to that little scene.
01:29What is?
01:30Let's dig in.
01:31And making that.
01:32And then you've got to still be in it.
01:34So also with these preteen girls, there's got to be like a man in his studies.
01:37I'll be the guy who shows up later to clean up the vomit.
01:40You'll clean it up?
01:40Yeah.
01:41And then it becomes your story.
01:42I show up in Act 3.
01:43Okay.
01:43So we have other stories.
01:45Yeah.
01:46A hose.
01:48Yeah.
01:48For your next project, would you want to do something that's like a real palate cleanser
01:52from doing the real life thing?
01:53Because I assume that a lot of people have really dissected your life in the past year.
02:00Yeah.
02:01I think we would do something that's not so obviously autobiographical.
02:04Obviously everything you write.
02:06You put yourself in.
02:07Yeah.
02:07You put yourself in.
02:08So it'll be that, but it won't be so obviously and nakedly our life.
02:13Yeah.
02:14I agree.
02:14I 100% agree.
02:15Just take a breather.
02:16Smart.
02:17I want to play someone named not Kumail.
02:21That's the next thing I'm excited about.
02:22That actually will be the character story.
02:23Yeah.
02:23That was the biggest mistake, was actually using your real name first and last.
02:28First and last.
02:29First and last.
02:30Yeah.
02:30That's one of the things I would change about the movie, for sure.
02:33I changed my last name.
02:34Very smart.
02:35Which was smart.
02:36And I think maybe it would have been slightly smart to change both of our first names.
02:39Just so when people are talking about Emily versus Emily.
02:41Yeah, but they didn't want us to do that.
02:43Yeah.
02:43So that would have been, but changing the last name would have been easy.
02:46Would have been great.
02:47Didn't do it.
02:48Didn't do it.
02:48Just did not think of it.
02:49Until the first day of shooting.
02:51Yeah, and then it was too late because we had badges.
02:55So it was very cute that you congratulated each other on Twitter, but what was the household
03:00moment for the nomination?
03:02It was very early.
03:03It was 5.30 in the morning.
03:05Yeah.
03:05Screaming and hugging each other.
03:07Screaming, laughing, crying.
03:08Yeah.
03:09And then right back to sleep.
03:11Immediately back to sleep.
03:11It was shocking how quickly we were able to fall asleep.
03:14You exhausted yourself.
03:15We did.
03:15You were like, oh, okay.
03:17And then I fell asleep for two more hours.
03:18We could fall asleep.
03:18It wasn't just like a half hour.
03:20It was like a full sleep.
03:21And our people were trying to get in touch with us to like do press and we were like,
03:24nope, we're asleep.
03:25We are not able to do the press whatsoever.
03:26Yeah, I looked at the phone and it had 99 new text chains.
03:30Oh my God.
03:31So it wasn't just 99 new texts.
03:33Text chains.
03:34You got 99 text chains, but a nomination ain't one.
03:37Okay.
03:37That did not work.
03:38Cut that off.
03:39They were all nominations.
03:40Yeah.
03:41Everything was nominations.
03:43Trying to make a JV.
03:44Whenever you hear the word 99 you try and do something with it.
03:46I immediately do a JV thing with it.
03:48You never succeed.
03:49No, not one time.
03:50No.
03:51Have there been some really surreal moments since the nominations?
03:55Yeah.
03:56I think the lunch, there's an Oscar luncheon where all the nominees kind of come and do
04:00like a class photo and you're called out, you're called randomly.
04:04It's not in alphabetical order to like come and join the group.
04:07So you don't know in the whole time.
04:08I kept thinking, oh, they've made a mistake.
04:10We're not going to get called.
04:11Yeah.
04:12This is when you find out that we didn't actually get nominated.
04:14It's a fraud.
04:14It's all a fraud, which speaks maybe to our mindsets.
04:17But once we were there and we were kind of looking around at this group, we were like,
04:21oh, well, this is a real thing.
04:24Yeah.
04:25This is actually, I think that, that moment was maybe the most real one for me.
04:28For me getting the, in the next couple of days, you get this packet that's like your
04:32invite to the Oscars and all the other stuff.
04:35That was, I was like, oh my God, look at this.
04:37We're going to frame all of this.
04:39And then also getting the actual certificate at the nominee luncheon that's like, that says
04:43that you're nominated.
04:45That was really cool.
04:46That was pretty cool.
04:47It's kind of like graduating from college.
04:48It felt that way.
04:49Although I didn't care about graduation nearly as much as I cared about this, I'll say.
04:53Yeah.
04:54Is it more exciting to see these amazing greats like the Christopher Nolans and the Meryl Streep's?
05:00Or are you super excited to see this like new vanguard of filmmakers come in?
05:04Both.
05:05Both.
05:06Yeah.
05:06It's, it's, it's, it's been a really great year.
05:09And it, it, it, this would have been lovely any year, but to be in a year with so many
05:12movies that we loved.
05:13There were so many movies that were so good that we adored.
05:16So it's kind of made this whole thing feel even more special.
05:18Like, like Phantom Thread and we're in the, in any kind of similar category.
05:23But we're not.
05:24Well, not literally, but in the category of nominees.
05:27Yeah.
05:28Phantom Thread.
05:29Well, I mean, that's great.
05:30You know, it is like, as you said, it's people like Paul Thomas Anderson and Steven Spielberg,
05:34but then also people like Jordan and Greta.
05:36And so it's, it's a great mix.
05:39Um, obviously we feel much more comfortable about around people like Jordan and Greta.
05:43Yes.
05:44You know, not because of them, but we're, you know, we've been fans of the other people.
05:48for decades.
05:49They feel more untouchable, whereas the newer people feel touchable.
05:52We're like, this is crazy, right?
05:53And they're like, yeah, it's crazy.
05:54You can't say that to Paul Thomas Anderson.
05:56We all get to like, no, you certainly can't.
05:57Isn't this crazy?
05:58He's like, no.
05:59This is not crazy.
06:00This is my life.
06:00This is what I do.
06:02That's true.
06:03Yeah.
06:04This has also been a year that because of the political events that have happened,
06:08everybody wants to kind of politicize everybody's story.
06:12Is that a good thing or a bad thing when you're doing debut onto the scene
06:15for like the Academy Awards and everybody wants to politicize the story?
06:20Well, I think, I don't know what it's like other years.
06:22It's, you, we are certainly answering way more interesting and in-depth questions
06:27and having conversations that I think maybe didn't happen always.
06:30And I'm never a fan of like the, who are you rooting for?
06:33Like, what are you wearing?
06:34Like, I'd rather have a conversation if we're going to be here.
06:37And you know, the first feminist class I took was the personal is political.
06:41That is just kind of, that's true.
06:43The personal is political.
06:44And I think that's been very true this year.
06:46I assume that people make a lot of assumptions about how perfect life can be as a married couple.
06:53You guys are fully transparent about, you know, the fact that you actually really adore each other
06:59and are big fans of each other.
07:02But you're also like transparent about the ins and outs of our relationship.
07:06Yeah.
07:06Yeah, I think we're going to go back to having our personal relationship not be so public.
07:13But you know, I mean it's unavoidable with the movie.
07:15We really did kind of lay it all out there.
07:18Yeah.
07:19I think I just, I get more inspiration from, you know, when you see celebrity couples that are like,
07:23Oh, they love it.
07:24They're so perfect.
07:25They're so perfect.
07:25It's like, that doesn't give me, well, no one's ever going to really be that.
07:30So it's, it kind of sets you up for failure and feeling like you're a failure.
07:33It's work.
07:35Relationship requires, relationships require work.
07:38Yeah.
07:39Yeah.
07:39So I'd rather be a, some kind of a, an example of that, of that, like it does take work
07:45and it's rewarding, but it's good.
07:46But there was a time we were at, I think at Arclight and maybe we were like arguing about parking.
07:50And Camille was like, yeah, we can't argue in public.
07:53And I was like, that's a, that's a good point.
07:56People were like kind of looking at us and I was like, yeah.
07:58Honey, we're trying to get nominated.
08:00Can we talk about?
08:03Whatever floor we parked on and who's going to hold onto the thing.
08:06Yeah.
08:06Well, you're definitely a good example of authenticity, which is hard to find in this town.
08:12Yeah, maybe.
08:13But you know, I think I find what a lot of people do is, and I think this is good.
08:17I think people create a persona and that's what they project in public and then in private they're themselves.
08:22And I think you kind of have to do that.
08:25And I think we need to be better at it.
08:27Yeah.
08:27We learn too much ourselves all the time.
08:30Yeah.
08:30Just for a little bit of self-protection because then you start being like, well, you start kind of being
08:33like, when do I get to be myself?
08:36It's a very interesting thing to navigate for anybody, I think, especially now with social media and stuff.
08:40You're expected to be whatever brand you are all the time.
08:43Right.
08:43And we're on a, I'm on a very small scale.
08:45You're on a smaller scale than some of the like crazy famous people.
08:48But it's interesting to, how do you navigate that?
08:51And I get, I get to be in a bad mood and be kind of grumpy sometimes and figuring out
08:56how that fits into your brand is weird.
09:00Your brand.
09:00How does this fit into my brand?
09:02Yeah.
09:02Okay, I have a couple of questions before I let you go.
09:04If you could complete these sentences.
09:06Uh oh.
09:07If Jimmy Kimmel were to crack a joke about me, he would say, this is on the Oscar night.
09:12First of all, I just want him to crack a joke.
09:14That would be so exciting.
09:15That would be so exciting.
09:17It's just so overwhelming to think about it kind of.
09:19Yeah.
09:19Yeah.
09:19I don't know, some joke about Big Bang Theory maybe?
09:22That happens to me still by the way.
09:23Yeah.
09:24All the time.
09:25Yesterday someone was like, can I get a selfie?
09:26And we got a selfie and he was walking and he was like, thanks Aziz.
09:29This happened yesterday.
09:31Happens all the time.
09:32When is it gonna stop?
09:33When is it gonna stop?
09:35My for an Oscar!
09:36When will it stop?
09:38It doesn't stop.
09:39It might not stop.
09:40This is gonna be the rest of my life.
09:41Aww.
09:42And the rest of their lives too.
09:43Yeah, that's true.
09:44We're in a club together.
09:45That's right.
09:46Yeah.
09:47Here's another one.
09:48The night wouldn't be complete unless blank happens.
09:51On Oscar night?
09:52Mmhmm.
09:52Oh my god.
09:54We're big Oscar fans.
09:56Boom.
09:57Um.
09:58I'd like an audience reaction shot.
10:00Of us?
10:01Yeah.
10:02Oh, the night wouldn't be complete unless we end up on the broadcast in a reaction shot.
10:07Okay, so I'll be like, Jimmy Kimmel just told a really, really politically risky joke.
10:13Oh.
10:14Oh.
10:16That was awful.
10:18But that's gonna get me on the broadcast.
10:21Yeah, okay.
10:22You've established and I gotta keep one camera on her.
10:25Very gif-able.
10:26Ooh.
10:27I'll do a lot of that action.
10:28Shoulders will be a...
10:29Yeah.
10:29What would you do?
10:30Politically risky joke.
10:33Alright.
10:33What?
10:36You looking around, see if everybody heard the same thing?
10:39Yeah.
10:39That's good.
10:39Ooh, a point is good, I think, too.
10:41Like, you see this guy?
10:42That's gonna get us on there for sure.
10:43Wow.
10:46Big grudging clap.
10:48Yeah.
10:48That's a good one.
10:50Excellent.
10:51The nominee I'd like to dance with at the after parties is?
10:56I don't dance.
10:56Kumail Nanjiani.
10:57Oh, nice one.
10:59And I said, I don't dance.
11:00Perfect.
11:01So, you're gonna have to find someone else.
11:03Yeah.
11:04Well, thank you so much, guys.
11:06We will look for you at Oscar night.
11:09We're very excited.
11:10Yeah.
11:11The big sick.
11:12See it everywhere.
11:13See it everywhere.
11:14See it everywhere.
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