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  • ]MUSIC PLAYING]

  • [APPLAUSE]

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: You'd think Google would

  • have a better room than this.

  • I thought there would be, like, an awesome movie theater,

  • and most people are on the floor.

  • Great.

  • Google.

  • DANA HAN-KLEIN: That's how we roll.

  • That's-- you know, we gotta--

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: You want to stay grounded.

  • DANA HAN-KLEIN: We need server space.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: I get it.

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: Kumail just read--

  • [INTERPOSING VOICES]

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: Kumail just read "The Game,"

  • and started off with, like, a hard neg up top.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: Yeah, man.

  • This is Google.

  • You've gotta show them who's boss.

  • I bing, so I don't know what--

  • [LAUGHTER]

  • JK, nobody bings.

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: I webcrawl.

  • DANA HAN-KLEIN: This would be the shortest talk

  • in the history of-- you're out of here,

  • like, all right, gotta go.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: Yeah.

  • I went on Bing by mistake once, and it said, you--

  • just go to Google.

  • [LAUGHTER]

  • DANA HAN-KLEIN: Did they give up?

  • Was that just it?

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: Yeah.

  • My computer got on fire.

  • [LAUGHTER]

  • Yes?

  • ZACH WOODS: Go ahead.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: No, no, no.

  • ZACH WOODS: Oh, no.

  • This is-- my question cannot support this level

  • of attention.

  • I just was curious if you used the phrase got on fire.

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: Yeah, he did.

  • ZACH WOODS: That was it.

  • Thank you.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: Yeah.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: Got on fire.

  • DANA HAN-KLEIN: I mean, this is going on the internet.

  • It could be the next, like, slang term.

  • Everyone will be like that's got on fire.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: Got on fire, it's gonna get on fire.

  • DANA HAN-KLEIN: There we go.

  • It'll be like a self-fulfilling prophecy?

  • Is that what that becomes?

  • ZACH WOODS: Yeah.

  • DANA HAN-KLEIN: I'd love to know,

  • we just saw the first episode of season four.

  • What do you think the biggest shift in reaction

  • has been to the show?

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: For season four?

  • DANA HAN-KLEIN: Yeah.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: We haven't heard any of the reaction yet,

  • so we don't know.

  • DANA HAN-KLEIN: Oh.

  • Well, let's give them the reaction for season four.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: Yeah, how do you--

  • AMANDA CREW: Reaction.

  • [CHEERING]

  • Whoa, big--

  • ZACH WOODS: I would say, just based on that,

  • the reaction is much more coerced this time around.

  • DANA HAN-KLEIN: Oh, yeah, they hated it.

  • They hated it.

  • They're being paid to do that.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: Can I say, this is a very diverse crowd.

  • It's white people and Asian people.

  • [LAUGHTER]

  • I see my people.

  • This is great.

  • Look.

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: Yes, it's all the peeps.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: Does this feel threatening to you, white man?

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: Yes.

  • It's not my America.

  • [LAUGHTER]

  • I want to see everybody's H-1's right now.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: I bet there's a few here.

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: You bet there's a few H-1s in here?

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: Hey, man, I was an H-1 until I found--

  • tricked someone into falling in love with me.

  • AMANDA CREW: And then made a movie about it too, right?

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: Yeah.

  • AMANDA CREW: Yeah.

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: I was an O-1.

  • It's for artists of, um, extraordinary ability.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: Yeah, it was made for people like Einstein

  • and then, you know, these people.

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: Not L-1s.

  • That was made for talentless hacks like myself.

  • Let's get into a strong visa debate right now.

  • DANA HAN-KLEIN: Let's.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: I'll go anti, just to stir the pot.

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: [LAUGHS]

  • DANA HAN-KLEIN: This ends in me being fired, I feel like.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: You haven't--

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: All of us.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: --done anything wrong.

  • We have.

  • Sorry, Dana.

  • DANA HAN-KLEIN: I am out of questions.

  • No, how much did you know about the goings-on

  • of Silicon Valley, like this area,

  • before you started the show?

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: I didn't know anything about it.

  • I remember-- I feel like the world outside Silicon Valley

  • has become much more aware of the goings-on of Silicon

  • Valley in the last four years.

  • Not because of our show, but I remember the show--

  • when we did the pilot, I would tell people I'm gonna do

  • a pilot-- a pilot is just, it's just the first episode--

  • called "Silicon Valley."

  • And they were like, oh, is it set in the '90s?

  • And I was like, no, there's crazy shit happening

  • there right now.

  • And people-- it wasn't as much in the mainstream consciousness

  • as it is right now.

  • So I knew nothing about it, really.

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: I had approached tech in general

  • just as a consumer, as, like, a primarily a gamer.

  • So, like, however it was going to improve

  • my gaming experience, that's usually where I checked in.

  • And I would say my horizons have broadened a little bit.

  • And it's been interesting to know, like--

  • well, to find out just the business elements of it

  • all, just how much money is flying around.

  • It really does sort of feel like this tech, nerdy Wild West.

  • Everybody's shooting each other with infrared laser

  • beams instead of pistols.

  • ZACH WOODS: I hadn't even really engaged

  • with tech as a consumer.

  • Like, I was so frightened of tech just in my daily life,

  • I used my father's email address in high school, because--

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: Which was zachsdad.

  • ZACH WOODS: Yeah, zachsdad.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: At aol.gov.

  • ZACH WOODS: We have ego boundary issues between the two of us.

  • But I was too-- it felt too daunting to set up

  • a Gmail account, so that was my relationship to tech.

  • AMANDA CREW: I remember when I--

  • MARTIN STARR: It felt too daunting?

  • ZACH WOODS: Daunting, yeah.

  • I was intimidated by it.

  • I, like, went to the login, and it asked me my name,

  • and I was like, fuck this.

  • [LAUGHTER]

  • AMANDA CREW: When I set up my first email account,

  • I didn't understand what it was.

  • So when I shared my email address with my friend,

  • I was like, yeah, it's www.cucumber_cutie@hotmail.com.

  • And--

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: Oh, I'm so sorry, a couple questions.

  • Cucumber cutie?

  • ZACH WOODS: That feels both suggestive and infantile

  • at the same time.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: Yeah, it's like a child trying to be sexual.

  • ZACH WOODS: Oh, no.

  • AMANDA CREW: I'm--

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: Cucumber?

  • AMANDA CREW: Cucumber_cutie@hotmail.com was

  • my email address.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: Why?

  • AMANDA CREW: And it was because I was in the ninth grade,

  • and I was in the computer class when I was making it,

  • and there was a poster that said, cool as a cucumber.

  • And I was like, yeah, cucumbers are cool.

  • So that was--

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: That is adorable.

  • ZACH WOODS: Although I shouldn't give you--

  • Kumail shouldn't give you shit, because his first email was

  • dildoteddybear.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: (LAUGHING) I know you have questions.

  • I will answer them.

  • Dildo teddy bear.

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: Why teddy bear?

  • Dildo I get.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: It was dildoteddybear--

  • ZACH WOODS: This is the most-- like, it's--

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: It was dildoteddybear2--

  • ZACH WOODS: Yes.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: --because someone got to the--

  • ZACH WOODS: Because your dad had dildoteddybear1.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: My dad was original dildoteddybear,

  • and I was dildoteddybear Jr. And that's still

  • how we call each other?

  • Hi.

  • Does that answer your question?

  • ZACH WOODS: Does this count as sexual harassment,

  • since we don't work here?

  • DANA HAN-KLEIN: This answers my question more

  • than I ever wanted, I think.

  • ZACH WOODS: Sorry.

  • It's gross.

  • Sorry for saying that.

  • DANA HAN-KLEIN: It's a safe space.

  • We're learning a lot about each other, apparently.

  • Has working on the show made you, like, at all

  • more inclined to learn about this?

  • Or are you just like, eh, I'm good.

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: No--

  • ZACH WOODS: It's interesting, it's not--

  • I mean, we're not-- at least for me,

  • I'm not going on any, like, giant research expeditions

  • into-- but like, if I'm listening to the radio

  • and a show about tech comes on, I'm

  • more likely to understand some of the, like, basic vocabulary

  • of it, or like articles I'll read

  • that I wouldn't otherwise read.

  • But yeah, I feel like it's made me a little bit more

  • familiar with tech.

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: I've definitely pursued it,

  • just because the show's gotten some sort of direct lines

  • not only to investors, but developers, as well.

  • And I always-- like, talking again about games,

  • my favorite booth at E3 is always

  • like the new, like, rendered grass

  • that Nvidia has, as opposed to, like, the latest modern warfare

  • game.

  • So like, I-- I kind of like the elements and the pieces of LEGO

  • that go into building the bigger picture.

  • And just with the show and kind of like--

  • I mean, as crass as this is, like,

  • the little bit of extra spending money that you

  • get by being on TV, there's just some opportunities to kind of--

  • to explore, just based on if you have an interest

  • in a certain thing--

  • me, it's games and the environment--

  • I think there's opportunities to explore here in the Valley.

  • And it's been interesting.

  • ZACH WOODS: Tommy's been heavily investing

  • in bringing back Tamagotchis.

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: Yeah.

  • Yeah, Tamagotchis.

  • But I'm calling them "Tommyguccis."

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: And they're, like, little versions of you.

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: Yeah.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: And you gotta feed 'em.

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: Yeah, you gotta feed these guys.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: Gotta feed these guys.

  • AMANDA CREW: And you've got to play with them.

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: You've gotta feed these guys.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: It's gotta be compliments.

  • You feed it compliments.

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: Yeah, they always

  • have just super low self-esteem, and you have to pick them up.

  • ZACH WOODS: But weirdly, the more you praise them,

  • the hungrier they get.

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: Yeah.

  • Yeah, it's a real sad relationship

  • you have to develop with these Tommyguccis.

  • In Canada, gucci is--

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: What?

  • Don't say it.

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: Yeah, just wanna--

  • DANA HAN-KLEIN: Um--

  • [LAUGHTER]

  • DANA HAN-KLEIN: This is, like, the most R-rated thing

  • we've had.

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: Good.

  • We want to challenge you.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: What else have you had here?

  • DANA HAN-KLEIN: I don't know, we've just--

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: So when you were

  • saying that you guys get big movies here,

  • this is where you fucking show 'em?

  • [LAUGHTER]

  • This?

  • [LAUGHTER]

  • MARTIN STARR: On two tiny screens?

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: Yeah, you bring in a bunch of chairs

  • from somewhere?

  • ZACH WOODS: Why don't you just have one person

  • hold their iPhone while 300 people--

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: Oh, no, hold their Google phone.

  • ZACH WOODS: Sorry.

  • Google phone.

  • MARTIN STARR: Yeah, yeah.

  • ZACH WOODS: Sorry.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: This is where you--

  • MARTIN STARR: You could have one big screen, at least,

  • on this wall instead of two tinier ones.

  • DANA HAN-KLEIN: Well, where would we put the logo--

  • AMANDA CREW: Separated by the logo, Google.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: They don't watch the movie, or the show,

  • they just look at their own logo--

  • [LAUGHTER]

  • --and they just smile and cry, and all the emotions.

  • And at some point the credits roll and we come in and--

  • ZACH WOODS: It's on both screens simultaneously?

  • MARTIN STARR: Is there usually a partition down the middle

  • and you watch two different things?

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: There's a delay.

  • The one screen is 30 seconds behind.

  • It's a nightmare to watch.

  • DANA HAN-KLEIN: --3D projecting in the world.

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: (LAUGHING) Yeah.

  • ZACH WOODS: It feels like a passive-aggressive attack

  • against epileptic employees if it's both simultaneously.

  • Isn't that triggering?

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: Do you guys forget where you work?

  • [LAUGHTER]

  • Why do you have to constantly be reminded?

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: As soon as they walk in, oh,

  • I'm in the wrong place, damn it.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: Oh my god, it says AltaVista.

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: Shoot, not today.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: Google.

  • DANA HAN-KLEIN: Google.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: Yeah.

  • DANA HAN-KLEIN: That's one of the things

  • your show gets so right.

  • It's just all the weird quirks, obviously,

  • somebody was paying attention to it.

  • Because all the Hooli stuff, like the Pied Piper,

  • "swag, schwag, schwag" is such a thing.

  • Like

  • It's just fascinating, I think, for us

  • to watch because it's like looking in a mirror, a very

  • scary mirror sometimes, but it's definitely a fascinating thing.

  • So it's interesting to see how you guys approach it

  • because you're not in tech you're actors--

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: We would read the scripts

  • and we would think that this is so exaggerated,

  • and then we come here and we're like, oh, we underplayed it.

  • [LAUGHTER]

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: Yeah.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: Why does it say Google on the wall?

  • You guys know where you work, look at your badges.

  • [LAUGHTER]

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: Yeah--

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: It's funny because when

  • we're shooting our show it does say, HBO really huge,

  • and then we have to CG it out later.

  • CG is-- I don't know if you guys know computers, but--

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: I think that's

  • a testament to the writers, Mike and Alec and the whole team

  • there, they come up here constantly

  • and mine for stories.

  • And whenever-- Alec said this-- whenever they're

  • in a narrative corner, when they've backed themselves

  • into what happens now, they usually

  • call someone up and say what would normally

  • happen here and then get their answer out of that.

  • Their "solve" out of that.

  • ZACH WOODS: It also seems like people don't mind--

  • you're really pleased with "solve."

  • No, no, don't--

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: Hey, you're really good.

  • You're really good on the show.

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: Pling!

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: There you go.

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: Pling!

  • [LAUGHTER]

  • Points, points.

  • ZACH WOODS: It feels like people don't

  • mind being made fun of as long as they feel known,

  • as long as you pay attention, and then people

  • will tolerate a high degree of mockery,

  • or even enjoy it, because it feels

  • like the compliment of careful attention has been paid.

  • And so it's nice when tech people don't bristle

  • even though it's pretty I mean.

  • It's nice because it feels like, well,

  • then we must have got some of it right.

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: Yeah, it can be mean,

  • but it's also from the point of view of the inside.

  • It's not like--

  • ZACH WOODS: Oh, yeah--

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: --five super aggressive alpha dudes

  • came to Silicon Valley and was like,

  • look at all these dweebazoids!

  • That's not the show.

  • It's this.

  • ZACH WOODS: That was the working title for the first season,

  • "Look At All These Dweebazoids."

  • [LAUGHTER]

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: (LAUGHING)

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: We're dweebazoids too.

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: Yeah.

  • DANA HAN-KLEIN: Were they worried

  • that "Look At All These Dweebazoids"

  • wouldn't fit on a shirt?

  • And they're like, we'd have to--

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: It does, you just do a smaller font.

  • [LAUGHTER]

  • DANA HAN-KLEIN: Problem solving.

  • I like it.

  • But I find it so interesting when you guys get grilled

  • about tech questions, and it's like, that's not

  • your background.

  • What's your instinct to do in those moments?

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: Literally say, that's not our background.

  • [LAUGHTER]

  • DANA HAN-KLEIN: Right.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: We don't know.

  • We're all just consumers of technology.

  • People are always like, so what's your billion dollar app

  • idea?

  • I wouldn't tell you if I had one,

  • also I don't have one because I'm an actor.

  • I'm pretending to be what you are.

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: It's a bit like inviting an actor who

  • played a doctor on a medical procedural

  • to give a speech at a medical--

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: Or perform surgery.

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

  • Give me a 100 ccs of gigabytes, is where we're at.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: We are.

  • That's the most technically--

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: We have to have an consultant on our show

  • on-set at all times because we'll get these monologues

  • of like, [INAUDIBLE] and all this--

  • I didn't even say it right then--

  • and he has to come in and-- or it could be a she--

  • he or she has to come in and--

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: He or she, but it is a he.

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: Thank god.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: On our show it is a he.

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: Yeah, I mean--

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: But he or she.

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: It could be a he or she.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: This is a great mix, by the way.

  • It really is.

  • MARTIN STARR: It actually is.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: It's a good--

  • MARTIN STARR: I thought you guys were saying Hiroshi.

  • [LAUGHTER]

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: Hiroshi does come in.

  • There's a big language barrier, but Hiroshi does come in

  • and tell us what's going--

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: He's not a H-1B1.

  • DANA HAN-KLEIN: Direct him for us.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: It's OK.

  • Look at me, I can't be racist.

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: It's impossible for you to be--

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: It's impossible.

  • ZACH WOODS: But you'll put it to the test.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: I have been.

  • Here's my observation about Mongolian people.

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: (LAUGHING) Mongolian people.

  • ZACH WOODS: Wow.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: Why?

  • Why?

  • ZACH WOODS: He goes hard at the Mongolian people.

  • He's has a whole bit about their barbecue.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: They love Popsicles.

  • I make up stereotypes and I double down.

  • DANA HAN-KLEIN: Commit to it.

  • That's the true internet way.

  • Yes, It's true.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: Oh my god.

  • Mongolians and their Popsicles.

  • ZACH WOODS: You could be president one day.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: No, I can't.

  • I wasn't born here.

  • Ugh.

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: Of Mongolia.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: Of Mongolia I could be, yes.

  • They're very relaxed rules.

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: Yeah.

  • Kumail Nanjiani starts feud with Mongols.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: (LAUGHING)

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: I don't think Mongols is a PC term.

  • DANA HAN-KLEIN: I don't think so.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: I don't think that's good.

  • DANA HAN-KLEIN: We'll check it later.

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: It's just short for Mongolian.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: No, don't do it.

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: But it sounds weird--

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: Yeah.

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: Me even saying

  • Mongolian sounds like I'm being mean, but I'm not.

  • Mongolian.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: Yeah.

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: I'm Mongolian.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: As long as you're not saying like--

  • yeah-- "whore" after it.

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: In a history context.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: In a history context.

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: If you're listening to Dan Carlin's--

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: Yes.

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: History--

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: "Hardcore--"

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: "Hardcore History," you

  • could talk about Jengis Khan, as he says.

  • What the fuck is going on right now?

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: Hey.

  • Wait.

  • Yeah, I'm lost.

  • Where are we?

  • Oh, OK.

  • DANA HAN-KLEIN: You're-- yeah.

  • [LAUGHTER]

  • This is why we have the signs.

  • This season seems to be a lot about status changes

  • within the group, and you guys are all in very different roles

  • and having to deal with that.

  • What was the most fun part to explore about that?

  • Because we're seeing these different sides

  • of these characters.

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: Up until this point, as the group,

  • they've seen obstacles come at them from the exterior,

  • but I think after the first episode

  • you gather that the group dynamic is being challenged.

  • And as a result, I would say over the season,

  • there's a little bit more emotional anchor points

  • to kind of latch on to, not to say

  • that the show's going to become like "Girls" or anything

  • like that.

  • It still is Mike Judge's sentimentality level

  • which is small, he has a low threshold for that stuff.

  • But it's been nice to latch onto that

  • and see this interplay between the characters

  • in terms of what this sort of like dynamite stick being

  • thrown into the group has been.

  • ZACH WOODS: Yeah, because once you've

  • been doing a show for a while the dynamics get locked in

  • and it almost becomes predictable where you're like,

  • oh, OK, Jared's going to be mothering to Richard,

  • there's going to be homoerotic jousting between Gilfoyle

  • and Dinesh--

  • [LAUGHTER]

  • --and you sort of know what's coming, and then--

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: [INAUDIBLE]

  • ZACH WOODS: But when you mix it up,

  • when there's internal strife, or internal drama,

  • it's nice because it gives you a chance

  • to throw all those dynamics up in the air

  • and see where they land, and I thought that was fun.

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: No one doesn't play their character

  • in that process, it's just like those characters

  • get put in a slightly different circumstance, which is nice.

  • ZACH WOODS: Yeah.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: And this season there's

  • a bit more of a civil war aspect to it where--

  • MARTIN STARR: It's actually called "Silicon Valley--

  • colon--

  • Civil War."

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: Yeah, I'm Captain America.

  • Why?

  • You have a problem with that?

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: Yes.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: What's the problem?

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: Accent.

  • Just the accent.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: Man, this is what America looks like now.

  • Get used to it, Canadian.

  • [LAUGHTER]

  • Yeah, there is divisions within the group, as Thomas

  • was saying, and so the season--

  • It's fun to take sides with different people

  • than you've done before and we're

  • put in very heightened different situations.

  • So it's cool to see these characters that we've

  • been with for three years--

  • a new side of them because they're

  • in a completely different situation than they've

  • been in before.

  • DANA HAN-KLEIN: What do you admire

  • most about the characters that you're portraying?

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: That's an interesting question.

  • You're doing a great job.

  • These questions are great.

  • Seriously.

  • It's true.

  • DANA HAN-KLEIN: Thank you.

  • AMANDA CREW: And she can handle our jokes.

  • Not everyone can.

  • DANA HAN-KLEIN: Keep coming after the logo

  • though we're going to have a problem.

  • [LAUGHTER]

  • [INTERPOSING VOICES]

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: I admire my character's resolve.

  • He gets defeated all the time, but he's always

  • very optimistic.

  • And he thinks like, you know what, this next one's gonna

  • work, and he always falls flat on his face,

  • but he keeps going.

  • He's like Wile E. Coyote kind of,

  • and I think that's a very hopeful, optimistic way to be.

  • ZACH WOODS: I think I like Jared's reckless love

  • for Richard.

  • I like the idea of completely unself-protective adoration,

  • maybe to a pathological degree, but I

  • think I wish I could do that more readily.

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: I like, I guess

  • you could see it as a negative trait about Richard--

  • I like the negatives more than the positives in a character,

  • they're funner to play.

  • The tabs versus spaces thing is the perfect encompassing

  • of that where a casual statement is made,

  • and then Richard just is like, tunnel vision, can't not

  • think about it, like, I'll hang onto that one later.

  • And it just bubbles in him and, obviously, spews out

  • in all kinds of ways, that sounded gross.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: What do you mean bubbles spew out

  • in all kinds of ways is gross?

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: Who knows?

  • But it's just fun to play.

  • It's something, just from a character point,

  • and also comedically that you can really latch onto.

  • Yeah.

  • MARTIN STARR: Amander?

  • AMANDA CREW: She's a bad ass bitch, Monica.

  • She smokes, so she's cool.

  • In a James Dean kind of way.

  • But no, I really love her heart.

  • Because in a world where everyone's just

  • doing what's best for their company

  • and making money and moving their way up,

  • she really believes in Richard and what

  • he's doing and sometimes does things that don't benefit her,

  • but she knows is going to help out Richard.

  • And I admire that.

  • I admire that a lot.

  • MARTIN STARR: I think.

  • Gilfoyle doesn't give a shit what anybody else thinks

  • about him or otherwise.

  • That's an admirable trait.

  • [LAUGHTER]

  • DANA HAN-KLEIN: I would ask who's

  • most like their character, but I think I just got my answer.

  • [LAUGHTER]

  • MARTIN STARR: I'm in character year round from the moment

  • we did--

  • DANA HAN-KLEIN: Very method, very method.

  • You're getting ready for Season 5 hopefully.

  • This is random, but who holds the "always blue" record?

  • Does anyone hold the "always blue" record?

  • MARTIN STARR: There's a rubber band in that thing.

  • We tricked you all.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: But we did do it without--

  • MARTIN STARR: We did it originally--

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: Why that came about is actually we were

  • messing around in between takes--

  • this is the very first episode we ever shot--

  • messing around doing that game and they put that into the--

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: Mike was like, just do that on camera.

  • And it became a recurring thing.

  • It was literally us killing time between takes goofing around.

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: Yeah, that's happened a couple of times--

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: And then, I read

  • a thing that was this huge thing on Reddit that was like,

  • this is what the "always blue" means, it's

  • a thing about how when you're making code

  • it could be red or blue.

  • And it's this whole thing and people are like, oh my god,

  • that scene in the show's so genius.

  • Meanwhile it's totally random.

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: It's us being full-blown timewasting

  • jackasses.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: Yeah.

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: Oh, the jacket is a thing

  • that they incorporated--

  • MARTIN STARR: Yeah, that's real.

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: You get downtime in between set ups

  • and you have some time, we all sit around and goof

  • off and the idea--

  • ZACH WOODS: We shoot the show on a studio lot and Martin

  • got us these scooters, these electric scooters,

  • and so we thought it would be--

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: We called ourselves "The Rude Boys"

  • because--

  • ZACH WOODS: "Rude Boys On the Lot."

  • We got these stupid jackets that said, "Rude Boys On the Lot."

  • MARTIN STARR: And we were going to be a biker gang

  • with these EcoReco electric--

  • ZACH WOODS: Tiny electric scooters

  • and our purple jackets.

  • DANA HAN-KLEIN: With the dice on the back.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: Yeah, they had dice on the back.

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: And so we were all wearing them

  • to the set thinking, this is cool,

  • but we get this is silly also.

  • And next thing you know, two episodes later Jared

  • walks in with that Pied Piper jacket,

  • and we're like, oh, touche, writers.

  • You've called us and raised us and we fold.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: --a lot stuff from our life

  • that ends up on the show.

  • The gold chain thing that I had?

  • That was from my life.

  • In high school I was like, I'm going to wear a silver chain

  • and I'll be cool.

  • And it's that thing, as soon as you get to school you're like,

  • oh no, this is horrible.

  • ZACH WOODS: When Jared speaks in German in his sleep

  • that actually has some basis in reality,

  • but I never speak in German in my sleep.

  • I guess, this is a little bit of a strange thing to talk about,

  • but I'm Jewish, I'm from a Jewish family,

  • I have great respect for my people.

  • But my freshman year at college I woke up

  • one morning and my roommate was like, hey, man, you all right?

  • And I was like, yeah, what are talking about?

  • And he was like, I was up late writing a paper last night

  • and you fell asleep, and then in the middle of the night

  • you sat up and made eye contact with me and went,

  • I hate the Jews, and then went back to sleep.

  • We celebrated Hanukkah every year,

  • my sister's studying to be a rabbi.

  • I'd just like to reiterate, not reflective of my waking

  • feelings about Judaism.

  • But I told one of the producers that, and then

  • he started yelling in German in his sleep.

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: Ha.

  • DANA HAN-KLEIN: That's terrifying.

  • ZACH WOODS: It's scary.

  • Sorry.

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: Well, don't worry.

  • I mean, even Hitler didn't use chemical weapons so you're OK.

  • [LAUGHTER]

  • DANA HAN-KLEIN: We'll take a few audience questions in a second

  • if anyone wants to line up.

  • I'd like to know, what's the last game y'all played?

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: Like a video game?

  • DANA HAN-KLEIN: Yeah, like a video game or not--

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: I've played "Zelda."

  • DANA HAN-KLEIN: OK.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: And I'm playing a game called, "Horizon Zero

  • Dawn" that I really love.

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: I found that as time goes on

  • I've been less about playing as many games as possible and more

  • like, I got a couple of standbys that if I have time I play.

  • I play this very intricate flight

  • simulator called, "DCS"--

  • "Digital Combat Simulator"-- where

  • you don't press a button to start up a jet,

  • you click all the little buttons.

  • And that's so my dream, is a steep learning curve

  • where you have to study.

  • And this game called, "Legends of Grimrock 2," which

  • is pretty fun.

  • I like those weird obscure PC games.

  • Amanda, what are you playing?

  • AMANDA CREW: Oh, so much solitaire.

  • [LAUGHTER]

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: Anything with 52 cards, I'm in.

  • AMANDA CREW: I'm still waiting for the cards

  • to completely cover the screen when I win

  • and it always misses the one corner.

  • So I'm still playing.

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: I've also found

  • a pretty good pen-and-paper group that I love playing.

  • I like "D&D" and "GURPS" and all that kind of stuff.

  • AMANDA CREW: "Werewolf."

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: "Werewolf."

  • I lead you guys in a "Werewolf" game.

  • So I think, yeah, those kind of things are good too.

  • AMANDA CREW: Zach, what are you playing?

  • ZACH WOODS: Doing a lot of "Pride and Prejudice"-themed

  • word searches.

  • [LAUGHTER]

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: When we started filming actually

  • and Kumail and I and Martin were talking about video games

  • and stuff, and we're like, Zach, did you ever play video games?

  • He says, oh, well, I remember one of the games

  • that I played as a child, it was on some CD

  • and it was essentially an interactive jazz game.

  • ZACH WOODS: My first-- the only video game

  • I had when I was a kid was a jazz video game where you just

  • wander through the history of jazz.

  • [LAUGHTER]

  • And you can't really get points, you're

  • just a passive participant as jazz happens.

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: It was like "Zork" meets a jazz museum.

  • ZACH WOODS: Yeah.

  • You just walk into like, and now you're in New Orleans,

  • and now you're in Chicago, and oh, there's Billie Holiday.

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: Click on the picture to find out more.

  • ZACH WOODS: Yeah.

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: I mean, what a dweebazoid.

  • ZACH WOODS: What a dweebazoid.

  • Look at all these dweebazoids.

  • AMANDA CREW: Martin, what are you playing?

  • MARTIN STARR: I think the last time I played video games was

  • probably playing "NBA 2K" whatever with y'all boys,

  • and lady.

  • You've never played.

  • AMANDA CREW: I didn't play.

  • ZACH WOODS: Sometimes they'll play video games

  • and I'll just sleep.

  • And then we'll all go to one trailer and--

  • MARTIN STARR: He'll be at our feet laying--

  • ZACH WOODS: Like a dog.

  • [LAUGHS]

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: Yeah.

  • Yeah.

  • I could talk about games forever,

  • but that's totally boring.

  • ZACH WOODS: Look at all the questions.

  • DANA HAN-KLEIN: Waiting.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: Sir, go ahead.

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: Sir!

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: Sir, what's your name?

  • AUDIENCE: Sergey.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: Sergey, nice to meet you.

  • ZACH WOODS: --so they got it right.

  • Yeah.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: Sir Sergey, nice to meet you.

  • AUDIENCE: You're welcome.

  • Yeah.

  • But I had a question, what are your guys'

  • real-life inspirations in Silicon Valley?

  • What do you do actually to get a real sense of--

  • ZACH WOODS: That's offensive.

  • [LAUGHTER]

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: Sir!

  • ZACH WOODS: That's offensive.

  • What's our inspirations?

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: You know, I feel like a bad actor

  • when I say I didn't do any character studies.

  • Essentially it's an amalgamation of myself

  • and all the kids I went to LAN parties with as a teenager.

  • I've picked up pieces here and there throughout life.

  • Although very recently, I met [INAUDIBLE] Richard Hendricks

  • who talked 4,000 miles a second and got immediately

  • into the weeds about something that you're like,

  • I don't understand you at all.

  • But I said to the guy who introduced me

  • I was like, why didn't I meet him before?

  • But, yeah, what about you guys?

  • MARTIN STARR: For me it was on the page.

  • The character was kind of a conversation

  • that happened after the pilot had been written.

  • And I think an evolution of the show

  • came when they found Kumail and myself,

  • and these side characters.

  • They hadn't really fleshed out the full group off the jump.

  • That's a basketball term because you start the game

  • with the throw the ball--

  • the referee throws the ball up, and then two guys jump for it.

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: Martin Starr's a big Clippers fan, so

  • watch out.

  • MARTIN STARR: You guys, what do you--

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: They're Warrior fans.

  • MARTIN STARR: --up here?

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: They've been Warrior fans for two years.

  • Their whole lives.

  • They have loved the Warriors as far back

  • as they can remember, 2014.

  • MARTIN STARR: You guys started winning

  • and now you're all dicks.

  • [LAUGHTER]

  • Congrats.

  • So I think they've figured it out as they went along.

  • But we were lucky to be a part of the spawning of it.

  • And inspired them and they inspired, clearly,

  • the characters because they wrote them.

  • But a lot of it was on the page.

  • ZACH WOODS: I kinda think of it archetypically almost.

  • I watched some documentaries and read some books

  • about Silicon Valley, but I think of it

  • as a family where Erlich's kind of the belligerent dad, Jared's

  • kind of the passive mom, Tommy's like the favorite son.

  • I feel like Dinesh is the baby, Gilfoyle's

  • the cat who kind of like--

  • Monica, I feel like is the grown-up next door neighbor.

  • I don't know.

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: Or the fun aunt.

  • ZACH WOODS: Yeah.

  • Yeah.

  • Like responsible.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: But she smokes.

  • ZACH WOODS: Yeah.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: Yeah.

  • AMANDA CREW: She's a bad influence.

  • ZACH WOODS: See?

  • I think of it more like that, like how

  • it fits into the family as opposed to trying to draw

  • from a specific tech person.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: Amanda?

  • AMANDA CREW: It's on the page, man.

  • Mike and Alec, they do the research,

  • they do all the hard work, heavy lifting, we're puppets,

  • we just read what's on the page.

  • ZACH WOODS: Right.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: Thank you, Sergey.

  • ZACH WOODS: Thank you.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: What are you working on, Sergey?

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: Do we have to sign--

  • AUDIENCE: I work in Business Operations Strategy team.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: What is it?

  • AUDIENCE: Business operations strategy.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: Cool.

  • Good luck.

  • [LAUGHTER]

  • Hey, Sergey, fascinating.

  • I don't actually know what that means.

  • DANA HAN-KLEIN: I work here and I don't know what that means.

  • I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: He doesn't work here.

  • Nobody knows that guy.

  • MARTIN STARR: And he got back in line to ask another question.

  • [LAUGHTER]

  • Hi.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: Hi.

  • AUDIENCE: Hey.

  • Thanks for coming today.

  • My question is, in your--

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: What's your name?

  • AUDIENCE: My name is Connie.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: Connie, nice to meet you.

  • AUDIENCE: When you guys visit the area,

  • have you guys encountered any ridiculous real-life

  • situations?

  • MARTIN STARR: Yeah.

  • [LAUGHTER]

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: Sometimes you'll--

  • AUDIENCE: Like in the context of Silicon Valley.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: Sometimes you'll go to a screening

  • and you'll think it's going to be a great movie theater,

  • but it turns out--

  • ZACH WOODS: It just looks like a Radio Shack that just closed.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: Yeah, it's like a closed Radio Shack

  • and all of them staring at the name of the company

  • that they work for.

  • ZACH WOODS: Once-- well, this isn't an at Silicon Valley,

  • but there's a big Silicon Valley contingent at South

  • by Southwest, and that's where we premiered the show.

  • And I was eating in the lobby of the hotel right

  • before a premiere and I heard a guy, in earnestness say--

  • he was pitching his app and he said to the other guy,

  • he was sitting across from, he's like,

  • it is like the Mahatma Gandhi of apps.

  • [LAUGHTER]

  • To be fair, it was an app that overthrew British imperialism.

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: Something along those lines,

  • when the first season-- we went up to TechCrunch in New York

  • to help, I don't know, either, I think it was just to promote

  • or something like, that, and a guy comes up to me and T. J.,

  • who unbeknownst to him, how would he know,

  • we're quite militantly atheist, and he goes, OK, you're

  • from the show, OK, great.

  • I've got this app that like it prays for you.

  • And we're like, what?

  • I guess you select your religion and it prays on your behalf?

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: That sounds great.

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: And I just saw

  • T. J., who barely keeps it together 24/7,

  • just like the fire like--

  • and I was like, we gotta go!

  • [LAUGHTER]

  • You're gonna eviscerate that boy.

  • ZACH WOODS: I hope it's like Tinder where

  • they show you Jesus and you have to go left or right.

  • Obviously, no photo of Muhammad, but whatever the next one is.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: Right, it's just a bright circle.

  • That app, don't choose your religion.

  • You should choose all the other religions,

  • so you're covering your bases.

  • So you do--

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: Or just tick all.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: Yeah, just be like, whatever

  • you got, some on that side.

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: I mean, if that ever

  • gave anyone peace of mind, you're doing it wrong, I think.

  • DANA HAN-KLEIN: Thanks.

  • We have time for one last question.

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: Oh.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: But what about all these people?

  • ZACH WOODS: We could just speed round.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: They can all four ask a question,

  • and then we'll answer all of them and it'll be so great.

  • So hi, just ask all your questions really quickly.

  • ZACH WOODS: Yeah, real quick.

  • AUDIENCE: My name is Lisa.

  • I'm a game designer.

  • This is related to a previous question.

  • And I know a couple of you guys have played "D&D."

  • I was wondering what kind of tabletop games you're into?

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: OK, and then the next guy's question.

  • Lisa, what tabletop--

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: --questions?

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: We're going to get the questions,

  • then we're gonna answer all of them together.

  • Go, dude.

  • AUDIENCE: --just in line to represent one of the people

  • from your place, so--

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: Get out.

  • AUDIENCE: I'm kidding.

  • My question was--

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: What do you mean from my place?

  • [LAUGHTER]

  • AUDIENCE: KGS, bro.

  • KGS.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: KGS!

  • AUDIENCE: Whoo!

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: No.

  • AUDIENCE: Bro, that's why green and white.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: You really-- we went to the same high school,

  • he says.

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: In Hachi Chachi Karachi?

  • AUDIENCE: About 10 years later though.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: Ten years?

  • [LAUGHTER]

  • MARTIN STARR: Wow.

  • ZACH WOODS: Oh, shit!

  • Oh!

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: Damn, you old, son!

  • You old!

  • ZACH WOODS: Shots fired!

  • MARTIN STARR: Sit down, grandpa.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: Ah, ah, my back.

  • AUDIENCE: The question was, an alternative search engine,

  • that you mentioned, you know, you started using it

  • and it caught your computer on fire.

  • I used to work for that before this

  • and I just want to make sure I didn't write any bugs.

  • Could you tell us the repro steps?

  • [LAUGHTER]

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: The what?

  • DANA HAN-KLEIN: Go fight him.

  • Just go fight him.

  • ZACH WOODS: All right.

  • OK.

  • And last question.

  • What is it?

  • AUDIENCE: I don't know if I can follow that.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: --there's two--

  • ZACH WOODS: You definitely can. (LAUGHING) Yeah.

  • AUDIENCE: Yeah, I just wanted to know

  • about any more moments of improv or something

  • that someone said on-set.

  • Last moment scripting things between just actors on the set

  • and if they ended up in the show and what those were.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: OK.

  • ZACH WOODS: All right.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: Is that all the questions?

  • ZACH WOODS: "D&D" is first.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: Wait, you have?

  • AUDIENCE: Nope, I'm all good.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: OK.

  • All right.

  • ZACH WOODS: We should also get Sergey's second question.

  • [LAUGHTER]

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: Business and strategy development.

  • Look, he's sitting there like a king like, I nailed it.

  • [LAUGHTER]

  • What tabletop games do you like?

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: Oh, yeah, "D&D,"

  • "GURPS," "Call of Cthulhu."

  • I like some board games like "Mansions of Madness"

  • and that "Battle for Westeros" game.

  • But as long as there's a character sheet, some dice,

  • and your imagination, I'm into it, yeah.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: The second question was impenetrable.

  • He made fun of me being old.

  • [LAUGHTER]

  • Third question?

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: (LAUGHING)

  • MARTIN STARR: There is improv, but I'd

  • say 95% of what you see on screen

  • is either the exact words as they were written

  • or we've played with them a little bit

  • to make them feel our own, or feel fresh, from take-to-take.

  • There is a lot of improvisation, but most of all

  • it just keeps us happy.

  • It keeps us fresh and enjoying the experience because you

  • do it so many times, and the writing is so good,

  • so you really want it to feel fresh when you say it.

  • And so we play around and enjoy having fun and making

  • each other laugh.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: They're so good at writing for us

  • that most of the stuff that you guys might think

  • is improvised is all written.

  • They're just great--

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: The improv approach to this show

  • is less about recreating the scene in "a better way,"

  • it's more so finding a moment with the character.

  • Or if we think a particular joke on page is funny

  • we usually maybe go on a tangent to see

  • if we can build on that even if it just gets cut

  • or they pick one thing from it.

  • Yeah, it's more a beat, an extra joke here and there,

  • but there's very few instances where they come with a scene

  • and be like, hey guys, help us.

  • MARTIN STARR: Although I will say that a lot of the Zach

  • moments from season 1 and 2, especially,

  • guided the writers towards this underlying sadness that

  • has become Jared.

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: Jared's backstory of pure hell.

  • MARTIN STARR: When I was-- like all of the orphan improvs

  • in the first two seasons were really--

  • or like how gaunt and shadow-like he is--

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: The wasting disease.

  • MARTIN STARR: --like a ghost.

  • Yeah.

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: Just a really freak of--

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: Multiple foster families.

  • ZACH WOODS: Yeah.

  • Well, one thing that's nice is--

  • Alec Berg and Mike Judge who are the guys who run the show--

  • Alec Berg wrote on Seinfeld-- ran Seinfeld for a while,

  • Mike Judge, obviously, has this crazy resume.

  • And they could be real auteurs and kind of dictatorial

  • in the way that they run the show,

  • but they could not be less egoless,

  • they are so collaborative.

  • And that's really, I think, unusual.

  • You hear all these stories where people are like,

  • it has to be to the syllable, and those guys

  • it's just best idea wins and usually the best idea's

  • their idea.

  • But you never feel like you're under foot or something.

  • I think it's good.

  • MARTIN STARR: And I remember when we were doing the pilot,

  • I forget what the exact line was,

  • but I was saying something a particular way

  • and it wasn't how it was written and Mike came up to me

  • and said, hey, could you say this?

  • And I said it in front of him back to him

  • and I was like, oh, yeah, that's way better than whatever

  • the fuck I was doing that was like fucking up

  • what you had written perfectly.

  • AMANDA CREW: And then he beat you.

  • MARTIN STARR: Then he took his belt off and he--

  • [LAUGHTER]

  • ZACH WOODS: It's a very corporal punishment heavy set.

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: Yeah, yeah, we run it like a ship.

  • DANA HAN-KLEIN: Yeah.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: I feel bad, Mr. KGS, what's your name?

  • I didn't ask your name.

  • AUDIENCE: Usman.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: Usman.

  • Right.

  • [LAUGHTER]

  • DANA HAN-KLEIN: Look him up in a yearbook.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: I was like, maybe he's lying

  • and I was like, nope, that's a pretty deep cut.

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: (LAUGHING) Deep cut.

  • DANA HAN-KLEIN: My very last question for you is,

  • pie-in-the-sky, unlimited time, resources, whatever,

  • what project or role would you like to explore outside

  • of the one you have on "Silicon Valley"?

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: I want to be Captain America.

  • I truly think we're ready.

  • Put me in, it's not like President.

  • I don't gotta be born here to be Captain America.

  • This is what it's like.

  • Just like a tiny Pakistani Captain America.

  • [LAUGHTER]

  • Thank you so much.

  • ZACH WOODS: Weirdly, I want to play Malala, so--

  • just kidding.

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: An actual tiny Pakistani.

  • ZACH WOODS: An actual hero. (LAUGHING)

  • KUMAIL NANJIANI: I did have this interaction

  • yesterday with someone who was like, you're actually

  • from Pakistan?

  • I said, yes, and they were like, do you know Malala?

  • And I was like, yeah, we see each other at the meetings.

  • [LAUGHTER]

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: Over at Pakistani headquarters.

  • DANA HAN-KLEIN: Pick up the Pakistani phone

  • and just call her up.

  • Cool.

  • Well, thank you so much.

  • Season 4 of "Silicon Valley"'s out.

  • ZACH WOODS: Thanks, guys.

  • THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH: April 23rd.

  • April 23rd.

  • [APPLAUSE]

]MUSIC PLAYING]

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