Parvesh Cheena Interview Co-Star of NBC's Sitcom 'Outsourced'

Parvesh Cheena. Can't place the name? You've seen this Indian American actor in TV shows, feature films, and perhaps most notably in those wildly popular Esurance ads. In the spots, he plays hapless Sanjeev, as wacky co-workers cozy up to him inappropriately, or chide him for being a "mess and sleeping in the vending machine." He's given memorable comic roles, since first appearing in Barbershop, along side Ice Cube. Now, he's part of an ensemble TV show. Cheena co-stars in a new NBC sitcom - Outsourced - premiering this fall.

Outsourced showcases a mostly South Asian cast working in a call center in Mumbai, India, owned by an American novelty company. A familiar face to comedy fans is Diedrich Bader - The Drew Carey Show - as an American manager who resists Indian culture. Parvesh Cheena plays Gupta, an employee who's socially clumsy, but when he dances, everyone takes notice - or cover. While prepping in his dressing room for an Outsourced shoot, I called up Parvesh. Clearly, he's excited about his NBC sitcom, and the fun he's having with his co-stars.

Was the prospect of an acting career a strong call to you - even as a child?

Yes. Fifth grade was when the acting bug kind of bit me. I had a play "King George The Third" - my elementary school production about George Washington. That's when I knew that being pompous, and putting on a fake British accent gets people to laugh at you!

Powered wig - the whole nine yards?

Yeah (laughs) and the cape, don't forget the cape!

Barbershop was your first Hollywood movie?

I'd done a commercial or two. I was going to school in Chicago - to Roosevelt University - they had a conservatory for performing arts. And going to that school, especially being in Chicago, you're just around everything that is performing arts. I got my first agent, when I was like a sophomore or junior in college. So I did a few commercials. I was just finishing up a play at school, where I had to be an older character, so I hadn't shaved in a few days for the performance. My agent was ready to send me out, and I was like great, let me shave, but they said, 'No, look older! It's an older role!' I had about three auditions for Barbershop - that was my first film project.I actually did Barbershop before I even did my first professional stage production.

The Barbershop movies were big.

Yeah, but when you're 21 in college, you don't know that. You just know Ice Cube. Oh he's going to do movies, okay let's do this.

You're just thinking this is a paying gig!

Right! The scope of it didn't really hit until everyone kept calling when they saw the movie - my friends all over the country. Then I was like, 'Oh this is a big deal.' After that, I did a year of work in Chicago theater. Then a year and a half later, I did the sequel Barbershop 2, so I decided to move to Los Angeles.

Talk about memories on TV shows you've done like Help Me Help You - the Ted Danson sitcom.

ER was the first TV show that I ever did. It was almost a year after I had moved to LA. I was getting a bit nervous, and almost moved back to Chicago. I got the part of a fumbling, bumbling doctor on ER. I remember being scared! I was so scared, because it's not a little one off. When you get to the set of ER, they have doctors who tell you what to do on a fake, plastic mold of a kid's body that you're going to be injecting blood into! So, it was scary, but by the time Help Me Help You - which actually has much of the same crew as Outsourced - I did multiple episode arcs. When you do a recurring role, you get to come back. The more often you come back, the more comfortable you get. I like to use the word comfortable, versus cocky. You're still a guest! One of my actor mentors- Rusty Schwimmer - a character actor who works all the time. She just works non-stop. She told me, "Remember, when you are a guest star, you are a guest in someone's home in a sense."

Don't wear out your welcome?

Right. But now here at Outsourced, I can set up shop. I get to bring my old TV from home into my dressing room, and bring in the old ottoman from Ikea - when I wanna kick my feet up! That's the difference from being at home, to being a guest.

Name your acting idols. What performers do you admire - classic or modern?

Growing up, you want to see people who are like you. But being Indian American, there weren't too many Indian American actors around. You definitely must give props to Kal Penn (Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle) for breaking into the mainstream, especially from a comedic viewpoint. From a more classic movie star viewpoint, I admire Danny DeVito, and more recently Paul Giamatti. I saw him in Big Momma's House, and My Best Friend's Wedding, and then America Splendor, which I think he did right before or after Sideways. He was also doing The Ice Man Cometh on Broadway with Kevin Spacey. I thought, here's a legit actor who can do it all.

Does the work most excite you - a role's challenge? Do your prefer TV over film or vice versa?

When you're just starting off, you go where the auditions are... what rooms you can get into. You really do go where the work is. In a sense, we have no say, especially character actors. If you can do a bit part in a movie, and you're free, you go do it. Right now with Outsourced, this is my job. This is my 9-5. Actually more like (laughs) 8am-8pm job. If it doesn't allow any other opportunities, that's fine. Any actor is always happy to work.

I think the one thing that has always attracted me about TV over film is... I like that kind of routine, but you can also leave it. We have summer break and hiatus. It's nice to know that I'm sitting in my room, and I brought my laptop with me. There's a candle going and everything. And of course just like a good Indian American, Anisha Nagarajan - who plays Madhuri - she and I both have the little mats right by our door for people to remove their shoes. It's the mom influence. You can't bring shoes on into the living room. We were barely allowed into the living room!

When you first started out, what was most shocking about Hollywood - the system - about how things generally work?

The biggest shock is that everyone for the most part is nice. I would say 98 percent of everyone you meet from production assistants, to say Diane Keaton - starring in a movie - everyone is nice. I think everyone is happy to be working, and everyone wants everyone to succeed because in that regard you succeed too. Even casting directors. You know how some actors say 'Casting directors hate me! They bring me in to just make fun of me!' No they don't. Casting directors bring you in and each person that walks into that room, they want them to do so well and succeed, because then they get the part and their job is done. On the contrary, as much as tabloids would make you think differently, everyone wants everyone else to succeed in Hollywood.

Maybe I'm looking at it through rose colored glasses, because in my mind, in my world, I don't like so much competition. There's a sense of fun from it, I won't lie. I do like playing softball with our Outsourced league, and with the TV league, but in terms of making a living and a career, I think we can all pass the finish line. We can all get A pluses, you know?

And have a real ensemble - for the whole group?

Right. You hit on a key thing. Our show is a total ensemble. Our dressing rooms are like dorm rooms. Who's got what snacks? Who's got gum? We'll watch YouTube clips on my computer. It does feel like college all over again.

Are the Esurance ads over? Have we seen the last of Sanjeev?

We'll see! I did the Esurance spots right in between doing the pilot - before we learned Outsourced was picked up. It was really nice... that kind of gig is a kind of dream job for an actor, in terms of commercial work. Because it's not just a one off commercial. It's a full on campaign. We're on their website, and filmed five spots. I'm in three of them. We even have the print, which is the most insane part for me, because I have never been on a billboard or on the side of a bus! Friends in Chicago would take photos and go 'You're at this bus stop at Wabash and congers!' That is insane.

Some TV ads just connect with people. My friends do lines from your spots!

I've made a lot of my living in commercial work too. Being in improv, and being comedic, you get a lot of those kind of quick jobs. I've been lucky to have had a few of those. This one is the current one right now (Esurance) and it's been a very fun, a good spot.

Any fond memories on Esurance? Is it as much of a party working on them, as we see on TV?

One of my good friends, Suzi Barrett - she used to be the 1-800 Dentist Girl - she's in the spots. We have the same agent. Suzi and I got to do some behind the scenes stuff. I was very happy to break her up. Even here at Outsourced too, my job during the day on the set is to make either Sasha, Anisha, or Rizwan crack up. Without giving too much away, we just finished our Halloween episode. They do like me on the show to be dancing a lot. I do dance. My goal in that scene, where I'm dancing, was to make Anisha or Rizwan break up and crack up laughing.

That's the kind of set on Outsourced - open and fun?

Yes. We pull pranks! Right now, I'm holding Rizwan's iPod hostage. I have it at home. A friend and I, we made a music video about Rizwan's iPod. We have a running gag that Anisha is harboring an illegal peacock business - because of NBC's peacock. In her dressing room, Anisha has a decorative peacock feather. For weeks now, we tease her that she hides a peacock under her sari, or hides it in her shower in her dressing room. If we weren't teasing each other and laughing and having that good of a time, that's when we'd start to get nervous (laughs) - like why are you mad at me, you haven't made fun of me in over 2 hours. We spend most of our time together on weekends.

It's still early in its run, but what are you most proud of about Outsourced?

Again, it's that ensemble aspect, where everyone gets to shine. Everyone is having their moment, and we're all helping each other with that. Also, I'm proud of the fact that it's showcasing so much ethnic diversity on television. It's just nice to see in the network shows, to see the world that we live in reflected. It's topical... it's contemporary... we do have this mixed group of friends - from shows set in everything from New York to Mumbai.

There are concerns about mockery or stereotyping of South Asians in Outsourced. How do you respond?

A lot of that is hearsay, until you see our show. It actually is a little sweeter. It's equal parts sweet and has heart, as much as the fun, you know the funny. We never watch a show with a predominantly Caucasian cast and go, "Oh they're being so stereotypical to middle America or upper middle class yuppies." When you do a show, not everyone is going to be at the height of their intelligence... or the hottest... the smartest. Like my character. He's not the brightest, or the hottest. One may call him the most annoying, but I call him the most earnest. I can only speak for my character. This is one portrayal of one character, who happens to be from one country.

You're busy with Outsourced now, but are there new projects you'd like to talk about? Anything coming up we should look out for?

Right now most of my time is for Outsourced, but if I get out early, especially on weekends, I still do improv and sketch work around LA - especially at the iO West Theater and Second City Los Angeles. Both are theater improv schools from Chicago. Any given week, I try to do two or three shows. I just wrapped two Indy films I did little bits in - Karaoke Man and City Of Jerks. But right now, I'm focusing on making Outsourced the best it can be.

Outsourced premieres on September 23, 2010 9:30/8:30c on NBC.