Nik Dodani probably looks familiar.
“They were actually open to changing Jared’s first name to something Indian as well.
But I was like, ‘No, let’s keep it.’
Jared Kalwani (Nik Dodani) and Evan Hansen (Ben Platt) in ‘Dear Evan Hansen.'.Universal Pictures
I didn’t want to touch that piece of it.
They were very intentional about making sure the film was more diverse than the stage production.”
Dodani agreed, only after discussing what precisely that entailed.
Nik Dodani.Buchwald Associates
“We had a great conversation about what that meant, how does that impact who he is?”
“How does it impact his relationship with Evan?
How does it impact the way he looks and dresses and talks and moves through the world?
“It’s funnier, in my mind, with Jared being gay,” Dodani adds.
It does add a fun levity and dimension to it.”
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: How did you first get interested in performing and the arts?
I then got into acting classes, and I was like 11 or 12 and just went from there.
Then, I came out to L.A. for college.
What was your first professional project?
My first professional project was in 2008.
It was a pilot for Fox calledLiving With Abandonby Richie Keen.
The six of them just only have each other.
It’s this dark comedy that sadly did not get picked up.
I’m a huge fan of musical theater.
It was sadly one of the few shows I hadn’t seen live.
I listened to the album a bunch.
So, I knew all the music.
My hope is to go see it in New York when it opens this fall.
When you were listening to the album, did you see yourself in certain roles?
Was Jared someone you gravitated toward early on?
Honestly no, because I’m not a singer and I’m not a dancer.
So, I would never have imagined myself being in a project like this.
And I was like, “I could die.”
But I did it.
One of my friends who’s a singer helped coach me for the audition.
Thankfully the Jared role, the singing is not heavy.
How daunting was the singing once you got the part?
I thankfully had a lot of support from the production.
They got me a voice coach here in L.A. Oh, but I thought there was a lot of singing live on set even though you also pre-recorded?
Yes, but I don’t, candidly.
I don’t think anyone ever expected me to, and I’m okay with that.
He was just coming to say hi.
Then the music team was like, “Why don’t you guys do it together?
Why don’t you sing at the same time?”
I was like, “I’m going to vomit.”
We ended up singing one verse of “Sincerely, Me,” but I sang so softly.
He could not hear what I was saying.
It was delightfully embarrassing, but everyone was so sweet.
Because you’re the comedy guy, does that come naturally to you?
It was definitely a challenge to find the right way to be funny.
Why are these subjects you keep coming back to as an actor?
That’s something that has been so real in my own life.
It’s something that really attracts me.
It’s important to share that message with audiences.
What’s your favorite project you’ve worked on thus far in your career?
Alex Strangeloveon Netflix was one of the most fun to shoot because it felt like a summer camp.
This was four years ago, so I was a very eager to gay things up.
What’s next for you?
I have a few writing projects that I’m trying to get off the ground.
One is a film adaptation of a novel calledBlue Boy.
It’s this quirky, weird coming-of-age story.
A version of this story appears in the September issue ofEntertainment Weekly, which isavailable to order here.
