Aziz Ansari made his directorial debut in the existential comedy “Good Luck.” Technically, however, this is not his first time commanding a function. In 2022, he was on his way to oversee the Bill Murray-led comedy “Being Mortal,” when Searchlight pulled the plug over Murray’s “inappropriate behaviour.” Ansari hopes that one day he can finish what he started.
“I think there’s a world where I can finish being ‘human’,” he said in an interview at the Variety Toronto Film Festival studio. “I would love to.”
But there are plenty of “parks & recreation” stars to celebrate in the meantime. “Good Luck” debuted its world premiere at TIFF on September 6th. Ansari admitted that the film carried her work. “Me and Seth are always kidding that we’re closer to Jeff than the other characters. Jeff’s stuff may sometimes tease themselves a bit. They even make movies, you know, that’s right, why is this not working?
Much of the writing came after he deliberately escaped from digital noise. “I have never written any more and felt more productive in my life than I pushed my smartphone and internet use aside,” he said. “But it’s just me. I know that’s not something that anyone can do.”
As for casting, Ansari thought about stomping. “There’s always a small part of me. ‘Why don’t you call Liz Ahmed and let him do that?” But the big advantage of writing for yourself is that I always agree to do my own projects.
The writings of co-stars Seth Rogen and Keanu Reeves proved natural. “Along with Seth, I know his voice very well, and I can really write to him, and Keanu, his voice is so iconic.
Ansari’s big tiff moment arrives when “The Office” gets a spinoff. As for “Parks and Recreation,” Ansari said he’s not even sure there’s still a beloved character in 2025, as he’s undergoing the same treatment centered around Tom Haverford.
“Hopefully he’s fine and he’s not losing everything with inappropriate crypto investments,” he joked.
Ansari called the “fatal” shelf “disappointing,” but opened up a new destiny with “lucky.”
“I wasn’t just in that collapse,” he said. “I had moments like, ‘OK, this is what happened.’ And I was very grateful to have been working on “good luck” and had it in my pocket.
Asked if the film had shifted his own philosophy of destiny, Ansari paused and added:
