chef/philosopher/thespian
The last time I saw Adil, I was a cool 140 pounds and hadn't had a fresh haircut in months. We were in drama club together, alternating leading man roles between plays (he was much better than I will ever be) and figuring out how far our voices could carry from the stage. Soon after, he left for college and then to Los Angeles. We share the bond of our late theater teacher Lee Tempest who made us who we are today, a photographer and actor, respectively.
"We come from human beings who have adapted to high levels of stress as a necessity. We stress because it drives us forward."
On his name
"It's a Hindi word meaning heart. So heart Adil, love Lavji. He wanted it to be sweet, you know? He wanted me to grow up knowing what morals were, to be a derivative of justice."
On flakiness
"I think out here people understand that not everything is set in stone. It's not faking it, it's inherent in our nature here. I don't want to say flakiness because it's not faking. Everyone uses that word, but it doesn't apply.
I met a guy in line yesterday. We're going to work together and we're super excited. It may never happen. In New York, it's like it's not going to happen, let's just forget it. But here it's like no we're going to make it happen. It might not ever happen but nothing is wrong with hopefulness."
On displacement
"I think it's a good thing to spend time away from my family because my family asks things of me. We love each other but we forget about each other's dreams. We have our individualistic wants and sometimes they're not congruent with each other. So in a way being displaced from my family is a good thing."
On success
"Success on-screen is not success, nor is success on stage. For me success is truly what I'm doing right now, me putting on my makeup and performing. Success is here, me getting to do things at a high level.
I'm not satisfied with my place in history. I haven't solidified that yet. It takes time, it takes a sense of wisdom. I think I think that takes being a workhorse to the point where you're a celebrated workhorse you know. I need that. I want to have my place in history."
On younger generations
“We don't value our own potential. Why are we cutting the education budget? Why are we cutting programs that that value our young citizens."
From Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Lives in Los Angeles, CA
