PHOTOGRAPH BY POOJA DEVARIYA
Currently shooting for Blacklist:
Redemption in New York, the Indian-
American actor came into the spotlight
four years ago for his role of Osama Bin
Laden in Kamal Hasan’s Vishwaroopam.
However, he believes that the character
of Musa in Rajiv Joseph’s Bengal Tiger at
the Baghdad Zoo (that he performed in
grad school), is what changed his life—
“I transitioned from an amateur to an
artist.” Weiss is multilingual—he speaks
Kodava (Coorg language), Tamil, English,
Spanish, and Urdu; gives lessons in
theatre and improv to kids; likes to write
introspective drama pieces with a dash
of societal turmoil.
HOME RIGHT NOW “We had a picture in
our house that said, ‘Home isn’t a place.
It’s a feeling.’ My parents travel a lot, but
I am lucky to have a home in Chennai.”
LOCALLY FOREIGN Although he is
half-Indian, he was considered a
foreigner in Chennai, where he grew up.
“I’d footboard on local buses and trains,
and hang out at the tea carts and
hole-in-the-wall restaurants, and speak
crass Tamil. It was a contradiction for
others, for they saw a white kid roaming
comfortably on the streets of Chennai.”
FAVOURITE IN NYC A hookah
establishment, Sahara East (184 and
1st Avenue; +1-212/353-9000), where he
reviews lines and checks grades papers.
INSPIRATION Actor Donald Glover
because he does many things, and does
them all well, he says.
THREE THINGS HE CAN’T TRAVEL
WITHOUT A notebook, a book, and music.
WHERE TO NEXT? “I have a fi lm
premiering in Beijing later this year. I will
travel to Argentina and Bhutan as well.”
—A.B.ACTOR AND PLAYWRIGHT>>
NAREN WEISS
Weiss is currently
shooting forElementary, Broad
City, and Blacklist:
Redemption in
New York.sisc