Available on premium digital November 7th before releasing on Blu-ray, DVD, and an Amazon-Exclusive 4K UHD Combo Pack on December 9th from Lionsgate is the new comedy ‘Good Fortune’, which was written, directed and stars Aziz Ansari (‘Master of None’).
btyHjgdcKjgicUy3t8Sxg7In addition to Ansari, the movie also stars Seth Rogen (‘The Studio’), Keke Palmer (‘The Pickup’), Sandra Oh (‘Sideways’), and Keanu Reeves (‘John Wick’).
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with director, writer, producer, and actor Aziz Ansari about his work on ‘Good Fortune’, developing the screenplay, the themes he wanted to explore, directing himself and his friend Seth Rogen, casting Keanu Reeves, working with his cinematographer and editor, the Blu-ray and DVD extras, and if he will direct again.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interview.
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Moviefone: To begin with, can you talk about having the idea for the film, developing the screenplay and the themes that you wanted to explore as a director?
Aziz Ansari: Well, I spent a lot of time in L.A. To me, the ideas of this movie are in your face when you’re here in L.A., whether it’s wealth disparity or whatever. The goal with the movie was to do a film that explored those things in a funny way. That was a challenge in writing the screenplay. It was, how do you talk about the stuff, but also make it entertaining and funny?
MF: I know you directed episodes of ‘Master of None’, but did you always plan on directing a movie someday and what are the challenges of directing yourself in a film?
AA: In Netflix’s ‘Master of None’, I directed, acted and wrote, and I loved doing that. I loved that process and working that way. I’d always wanted to take that and do that same thing in a film. ‘Good Fortune’ was my first shot at doing it, and it was similar in ways that I expected and challenging in ways that I didn’t expect, but I learned so much and I’m excited to try it again.
MF: What were some of the unexpected challenges and how did you overcome them?
AA: I guess just how different the editing process was. When you’re editing a TV episode, it’s 30 minutes. It’s just so much more contained and you’re also working from a canvas that’s starting from a TV show, so things have already been set up and you kind of have a world. Whereas in a film, you’re setting everything up and it’s a much different canvas in several ways.
MF: I know you have been friends and colleagues with Seth Rogen for a long time. What is it like directing your friend in a movie?
AA: You know, it’s not that different. I mean hopefully you become friendly with everybody, and that’s kind of what you’re doing all the time. But we’ve known each other for a long time, and he has a lot of trust in me and has always been really kind with his advice and everything. It was great having him as a partner on this.
MF: Was there a shorthand between the two of you on set, and since Seth is an accomplished filmmaker in his own right, did he give you any advice while making the movie?
AA: I think there is, and he knew what I was trying to do, and he knew how to help me and how to be there for me. I mean, he was the first person I showed the script to, and the script changed over time, and we would talk about the ending and talk about, what does the movie need? What’s great is that he was able to collaborate not just on his character, but he was thinking about the movie.
MF: Did you write the role of the angel Gabriel for Keanu Reeves, and did you have any idea he would be that funny in the film?
AA: I didn’t know who was going to play the angel, and then his name came up, and I thought, wow, that would be incredible if that’s possible. We had a meeting and he read the script, and he liked it, and he signed up and he was so generous with his time. We talked a lot about the character, worked on his scenes a lot, rehearsed a lot, and once he signed up, I tried to really tailor the role to him and really play to his strength as an actor, specifically with his comedy. He’s so funny playing a guy that’s very sweet and innocent, but kind of dumb and it just felt perfect for this part. As soon as the trailer dropped, people were like, “Oh my God, this is the most perfect casting! Keanu is an angel.” I’m so happy that he was the guy and that it all worked out.
MF: Did Keanu bring anything unexpected to the role?
AA: He’s just such an iconic screen presence, and there’s things he brought that you can’t put in a script. He’s just such a wonderful actor and he knows his craft so well that he brought things to it that I don’t know how to verbalize, but it’s on screen. I remember when we did our first preview screening and when his face comes up on the big screen, you’re like, “There’s a reason this guy’s been a movie star for many decades. He has something.”
MF: Can you talk about working with your DP to choose lenses and decide on the composition of shots?
AA: Our DP was Adam Newport-Berra, who’s incredible. He won an Emmy for his work on ‘The Studio’ with Seth. He and I talked a lot about, just how did we want to show LA? I talked to him a lot about showing the LA that you see in strip malls and just this neon L.A. We talked a lot about ‘Paris, Texas’. If you watch ‘Paris, Texas’, there’s a lot of green and it was how those fluorescent lights would react to film back in the day. I thought that look would be cool to have in this movie, so that was a reference point for us. I didn’t want a lot of flashy camera work. I wanted it to be simple. I didn’t want to move the camera around too much. I kind of wanted it to be straightforward. He was just a great collaborator and partner, and another guy that also was always thinking about the film, not just his job and his role as a DP. But he did a wonderful job, and I can’t say enough about him.
MF: What was the post-production process like for you? Did you enjoy working with your editor to assemble the film?
AA: Well, Daniel (Haworth) is a friend and he worked with me on ‘Master of None’ Season 2, and I was excited to collaborate with him on this. Look, when you’re editing a movie, you’re locked in a little dark room with this person for many weeks and it’s an interesting relationship. But you start with the first cut of the movie, which is probably two hours and change and you wash it down and then you start chipping away at it and you figure out what’s the story here. You know, what do we need to lose? How do we get to this faster? It becomes a lot of problem solving and he was a great partner to have, and we got it there.
MF: Was there anything you had to cut that was heartbreaking for you?
AA: Nothing heartbreaking. It’s just like the writing process. You lose things as you evolve the project and, in the edit, it evolves again and certain things go.
MF: The house featured in the film is an amazing location. How did you find it and has it been use in any other movies of TV shows?
AA: I don’t know about any other films or TV, but I think it was in a Travis Scott video or something, and maybe a Beyonce video? I can’t remember. But that was our location manager, Jay Trainer. He found that place and we fought for it because that location is so central to the film, and it is a character in the movie. He found that for us and made it work.
MF: Can you talk about the Blu-ray and DVD release? Are there deleted scenes or a commentary to look forward to?
AA: I did a commentary track. I think there’s bloopers, and there’s some behind the scenes docs. I love physical media and I hope if people have a ‘Good Fortune’ Blu-ray on their shelf, that’d be awesome.
MF: Finally, do you plan on directing again in the future?
AA: I have a couple other movies I’ve been thinking about, and I’d love to make another film soon. It was such a great experience. I feel like I learned a lot and I’d love to do it again.
What’s the plot of ‘Good Fortune’?
A well-meaning but rather inept angel named Gabriel (Keanu Reeves) meddles in the lives of a struggling gig worker (Aziz Ansari) and a wealthy capitalist (Seth Rogen).
Who is in the cast of ‘Good Fortune’?
- Seth Rogen as Jeff
- Aziz Ansari as Arj
- Keke Palmer as Elena
- Sandra Oh as Martha
- Matt Rogers as Peter
- Felipe Garcia Martinez as Felipe
- Stephen McKinley Henderson as Azrael
- Penny Johnson Jerald as Elena’s mother
- Sherry Cola as Linda
List of Aziz Ansari Movies and TV Shows:
- ‘The Rocker‘ (2008)
- ‘Funny People‘ (2009)
- ‘Observe and Report‘ (2009)
- ‘I Love You, Man‘ (2009)
- ‘Parks and Recreation‘ (2009-2015)
- ‘Get Him to the Greek‘ (2010)
- ‘Bob’s Burgers‘ (2011-2025)
- ‘30 Minutes or Less‘ (2011)
- ‘Ice Age: Continental Drift‘ (2012)
- ‘This Is the End‘ (2013)
- ‘Master of None‘ (2015-2021)
- ‘The Bob’s Burgers Movie‘ (2022)
- ‘Good Fortune‘ (2025)
