Kumail Nanjiani and Zoe Kazan make a wonderful on-screen couple in the romantic comedy The Big Sick – and while the former plays himself in this affable production, Kazan is tasked with playing Emily Gordon, the wife of Nanjiani.

Based entirely on real events, Nanjiani and Gordon have written a screenplay depicting the period of time in their relationship when the latter faced a life-threatening illness, and we asked the stand up comedian at what point did he and his wife decide to turn this serious set of events into a comedically inclined feature film.

We also asked Kazan about the challenges in depicting not only a real life person – but someone who was frequently on set, able to watch the shoot, and provide instant feedback. Meanwhile we seem to have won a prize (yay!) for asking an original question – as we pose to Nanjiani a query as to why stand-up comedians so often maintain their real life profession when appearing in cinematic endeavours.

Watch the full interview below…

Synopsis

Kumail is a Pakistani comic who meets an American graduate student named Emily at one of his stand-up shows. As their relationship blossoms, he soon becomes worried about what his traditional Muslim parents will think of her. When Emily suddenly comes down with an illness that leaves her in a coma, Kumail finds himself developing a bond with her deeply concerned mother and father.

The Big Sick is released on July 28th and you can read our 5* review of the film here.