Ep224 - Faran Tahir: From Sci-Fi to Broadway

08/26/22 • 47 min

Actor, writer, director and producer Faran Tahir may be best known for his roles in “Iron Man” (he tried to kill Tony Stark!) and “Star Trek” (he was killed by Nero!) but is now currently making his Broadway debut as Baba in “The Kite Runner”. Faran talks about playing villain roles, the challenge that comes with it, and how he brings a level of humanity to his roles. He talks about his childhood and growing up in a family who has been in the arts, and why he wasn't initially supported in his goal of becoming an actor. Aside from playing a bad guy, Tahir also shares the challenge of playing a good guy and of finding flaws, why he thinks art is "about putting up mirrors so that we can look at and examine ourselves". He shares what he would tell his students when he used to teach acting, which was you can never say you've mastered something. He also reflects on his role as Baba in "The Kite Runner", finding your spiritual community, and how as humans there is always room for redemption.

Faran Tahir is an actor, writer, director, and producer who came from a theatre family. He has appeared in over 50 stage productions across the US and the world. He received his Bachelor's degree from the University of California, Berkeley and his graduate degree from the Institute for Advanced Theatre Training at Harvard University. His film credits include "Iron Man", "Star Trek", "Escape Plan", and Elysium. He has also appeared in numerous TV shows, including "The West Wing", “12 Monkeys”, "Shameless", "Supernatural", "24", "Lost", "Prison Break", "Chuck", "Criminal Minds", and "How to Get Away with Murder". He's recently played the title role of Othello at Shakespeare Theatre Company and Richard III at Commonwealth Shakespeare Company. His other theatre credits include "Macbeth" at American Repertory Theatre, "Beast and Moon" and “A Perfect Ganesh” at Actor’s Theatre of Louisville, and "A Midsummer Night’s Dream" at the Commonwealth Shakespeare Company. Tahir is currently making his Broadway debut as Baba in "The Kite Runner".

Connect with Faran:

Twitter: @farantahir_
Instagram: @faran.tahir
Facebook: @OfficialFaranTahir

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Connect with Faran:

Twitter: @farantahir_
Instagram: @faran.tahir
Facebook: @OfficialFaranTahir

Connect with The Theatre Podcast:

Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast
Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast
TikTok: @thetheatrepodcast
Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast
TheTheatrePodcast.com
Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales
Email me at [email protected]. I want to know what you think.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Previous Episode

Ep223 - Damian Sandys: A Chance Encounter with Cameron Mackintosh

Damian Sandys is currently bringing his talent to the Broadway stage as The Kite Runner's associate director. The theatre director talks about the difference between the UK production and Broadway production of “The Kite Runner”, the importance of humor in the show, and how its US audiences are more vocal. He shares how he started getting into theatre directing, from watching and learning from his dad to meeting Cameron Mackintosh which opened up opportunities for him. Damian recalls how after graduating, he ended up taking a teaching job at a boy's boarding school where he taught English and Drama, and after putting on shows at the Edinburgh Festival, a producer who watched one of his shows offered him a directing job. He talks about working for the show, “NewsRevue” which was influential in his career. Damian also shares how he got connected with "The Kite Runner" production, why he decided to stay with the show for this long, and why he thinks a line from the show, "there's a way to be good again" is the key to life.

Damian Sandys is a theatre director with productions across the UK, Edinburgh Fringe, the West End and internationally. He graduated from Oxford University and has directed over 50 productions at the Edinburg festival, including “Shakespeare For Breakfast: 25th Anniversary”. He has been the resident/associate director for several West End and international tours of “Priscilla Queen of the Desert”, “The Kite Runner”, and more. His other directing credits include “Aladdin”, “The Taming of the Shrew”, “Beauty and the Beast”, and “Sleeping Beauty” among others. He's also been a part of the teams responsible for the London revival of “Tick, Tick... Boom!”, “When Midnight Strikes”, and “West Side Story”. Currently, he's the associate director for Broadway's "The Kite Runner”.

Connect with Damian:

Twitter: @munchkindamo
Instagram: @munchkindamo

Connect with The Theatre Podcast:

Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast
Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast
TikTok: @thetheatrepodcast
Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast
TheTheatrePodcast.com
Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales
Email me at [email protected]. I want to know what you think.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Next Episode

Ep225 - Amir Arison: FBI Special Agent Aram Mojtabai Makes His Broadway Debut

Best known for his recurring role as FBI Special Agent Aram Mojtabai on the NBC hit TV show, "The Blacklist” is stage and TV actor Amir Arison who's also currently making his Broadway debut as Amir in "The Kite Runner". He shares one of the hardest scenes in the show for him, and that while playing his role can get tiring at times, he finds it "bizarrely energizing" and cathartic. Amir recalls the preparation he did for his role where he spent months not doing anything, practicing his lines and how his dog barking at him while doing so is a good thing. Amir shares an incident of a service dog barking in one of their shows and how he uses incidents like that as an opportunity to have a direct relationship with the audience. He shares the two moments that made him want to pursue acting, the support he's gotten from his parents who are both in the medical field, and why he thinks medicine is an art. Advocating for mental health, animal rescue and arts education, Amir makes sure to do good and that while he's alive, and why he believes that the one thing that transcends time and space is love.

Amir Arison is a stage and screen actor best known for his role as FBI Special Agent Aram Mojtabai in NBC's "The Blacklist". His TV and film credits include "Billions", "Fringe", "Homeland", "The Mentalist", "American Horror", "NCIS", "Girls", "The Visitor", and "Jane Wants a Boyfriend". His stage credits include "Hamlet", and Off-Broadway productions like "The Way of the World", and "Aftermath". In 2018, he received the Mendez Award from the Maryland International Film Festival-Hagerstown, an award given to those who use their platform to give back to the community. Aside from acting, Amir advocates several causes , including mental health, arts education, and animal rescue. He recently made his Broadway debut as part of the ensemble cast of the Kite Runner, playing the role of Amir.

Connect with Amir: