In this week’s podcast, we introduce Indian actor Ali Fazal. HFPA jounalist Michele Manelis met him in Hollywood at the end of last year.  Fazal explained that he insisted with twice Golden Globe winner Dame Judi Dench to give him acting advice while they were shooting the dramedy period piece Victoria & Abdul.

 

Fazal believes in faith.  He could have been a basketball player but after he fractured his hand he took up acting.  His first play was William Shakespeare’s The Tempest. “(At) first acting was a hobby for me.  My parents wanted me to study economics, and because I am an only child I wanted to please them.  I was relieved when I finally told my father that acting was my passion.”

 

He also tells why smartphones are important to his acting career, from which American movie he earned a little bit of pocket money, how Bollywood is changing and what Judy Dench did when she saw him for the first time.

 

Listen to the conversation here or on iTunes.