Becoming a part of the Ghostbusters franchise is beyond a dream come true for Kumail Nanjiani, whose casting in the Ghostbusters: Afterlife sequel was announced earlier this week. Nanjiani, who is currently filming the movie in London, teased to PopCulture.com what’s to come with his character, who still remains a mystery, in an exclusive interview.
“I can’t really say very much about [the character] except something about my appearance is different in it,” Nanjiani told PopCulture coyly, adding that the film he “really does move the world forward quite a bit.” Even keeping details under wraps, the Eternals actor revealed the sequel’s script is “amazing,” and that it’s “really, really fun” to become a part of the new generation of the Ghostbusters franchise with fellow actors Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard and Patton Oswalt.
“The first Ghostbusters was my first favorite movie. I watched it over and over and over,” Nanjiani said of the special place the films hold in his heart as some of the greatest of all time. “Truly, I remember my cousin telling me about the movie before I’d seen it and I was like, ‘Wait, it’s horror and it’s comedy in the same movie?’ I couldn’t believe it. It felt like it was made for me.” Joining the Ghostbusters world isn’t even a childhood dream come true, Nanjiani gushed, it’s “a dream I wouldn’t even dare to dream … it was even too big to dream.”
If Nanjiani does get slimed by Slimer, he’ll be reaching for the Tide, as he teams up with the detergent to show people they’re “Gonna Need More Tide” in a new commercial spot that takes a look at some of the messiest moments in life – and in iconic viral videos. When shown the concept for the hilarious commercial, The Big Sick star recalled thinking, “Oh, wow. So it’s a product I actually use, and it’s a concept that’s really fun and funny,” calling it a “very, very easy decision” to partner with Tide.
“I’m in-person a very, very neat freak in a way that is debilitating to my life,” he joked. “If I spill a little something on my T-shirt, it ruins my day. …For me, just watching those viral videos [in the commercial] … I think it’s funny, but also all I can think about is how messy it is and how are they going to be cleaning it afterwards. In some ways, I was uniquely perfect for this campaign. Because watching those videos, part of me is laughing and part of me is cringing.”
