“Making someone laugh is the best. Laughter is the best medicine in the world.” — Dilshad Vadsaria
ISSUE: Summer 2011
DEPT: Personalities
STORY: Jennifer Chen
Greek actress Dilshad Vadsaria aims to please in the summer comedy 30 Minutes or Less.
For a girl whose first name means “happy heart,” Dilshad Vadsaria knows how to deliver one-line zingers.
And audiences will get a chance to see her do so as she made her film debut in 30 Minutes or Less this past August, playing fellow South Asian American Aziz Ansari’s sister and Jesse Eisenberg’s love interest, along with funny men Nick Swardson and Danny McBride.
Was Vadsaria, fresh from her role as Rebecca Logan (Becks, to fans) on ABC Family’s hit show Greek, intimidated to be working with such a funny cast of characters for her very first film role? No, she was too busy flying back and forth from Los Angeles to Michigan, shooting the final season of Greek and
filming her first scenes with Eisenberg. “There wasn’t time to think about it,” she says. But she did love every minute of it, especially since Kate, her 30 Minutes character, is the polar opposite of wealthy sorority girl Rebecca. As Vadsaria puts it, “Rebecca is filthy rich and has a jet. Kate, on the other hand, is working her way up and pursuing a career.”
It’s something Vadsaria could probably relate to. Born in Pakistan, Vadsaria decided to pursue a career in acting despite her parents’ desire that she become a doctor. So instead of telling her family she was taking acting classes in New York City, she told them she was “looking for a job.” After landing a starring role in Greek, she finally admitted she was moving to Los Angeles to be an actress. It was her first acting job, playing the girl everybody loved to hate. “I like to say she is misunderstood,” quips Vadsaria.
From teenage angst to grownup comedy, Vadsaria learned a new skill set watching her 30 Minutes comedian castmates on set — improv. “I couldn’t stop laughing,” she says. “Coming from TV where you have to stick to the script, here these guys were, throwing stuff in. It was so cool.” For this would-be doctor turned actress, Vadsaria has already learned what no degree can bestow: “Making someone laugh is the best. Laughter is the best medicine in the world.”
— Jennifer Chen
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Summer is underway and that could only mean many things for movie-lovers: popping some popcorn, sipping on soda and watching the newest films on the theater screens with free air condition. You have to get your cool air somehow, somewhere when the thermostat hits over 90 degrees so why not spend it by checking out new releases. What’s so great about this summer is we will be seeing more and more Asian American faces-whether it be in giant blockbusters or starring in small indies.
Check out the new trailer for 30 Minutes or Less, featuring Aziz Ansari (Parks and Recreation) and Dilshad Vadsaria (Greek). The film is scheduled to release on August 12.
Read about it in our Summer 2011 issue!
In our Summer 2011 issue, we featured Greek actress Dilshad Vadsaria, who will be making her big screen debut in the new Jesse Eisenberg film 30 Minutes or Less this August. Here, more of our conversation with the actress.
Photo by Audrey Cho.
