You Can’t Be Serious(104)
Fear, of course. Until that moment, I had never considered the extent to which fear must have played a role in their reaction to what I wanted to do with my life. The pressure they felt was surely tremendous, especially starting a family in a new country. “At the same time,” Mom continued, “even though we were scared, we respected your wishes and tried to encourage your interests.”
That was true. While some adults in my life said things like, “You can’t have your cake and eat it too,” and “Are you not smart enough to go to medical school?” my parents did encourage me as much as they knew how—sending me to that Summer Arts Institute, letting me attend the performing arts magnet program, teaching me about why it was important to have a diverse range of interests. And they didn’t lock me up for pretending to be pregnant with a math baby. Dad drove me to that UCLA audition in a snowstorm.
If Mom was right about my tendency to exaggerate, might I have somehow embellished aspects of my parents’ incredible story? “I hope I’m recalling this correctly,” I said to my father. “The entire family got all dressed up and came to the airport in India to see you off, right? And when you landed in America, you had only twelve dollars in your pocket?” Sitting in the living room with a wall of family photos behind him, of camping trips and graduations, college visits and movie premieres, and photos with the First Family, my dad looked at me with some amusement and said, “Unfortunately, you are exaggerating.” He smiled. “When I landed in America, I had only eight dollars.”
The day Dad left for America, summer 1967. My grandmother (Ba) and the women of the fam seeing him off at the airport. Suresh Modi
My grandfather (Bapaji) and the men of the family. Suresh Modi
Lighting a sparkler with Shobhafoi (my dad’s sister) at Ba and Bapaji’s tenement in Mumbai. Diwali circa 1982. Asmita Modi
Mom and Dad saved money by packing lunches to eat at rest stops on the way to camping trips. At the front of the table, Mom’s parents (Grandma and Grandpa), who were active in the Indian Independence movement. Suresh Modi
Elementary school class photo, happily wearing my Sears sweater.
At a living history museum, gleefully reenacting getting tortured for stealing my neighbor’s horse. Kalpen Modi/Modi family photos
Eighth grade me as the Tin Man in The Wiz, just before the life-changing pelvic thrust. Suresh and Asmita Modi
Vegas trip with the UCLA homies circa 2000 (years before Sunny) in my salvage-title Toyota Paseo. Ernest Filart
John Cho and me with actor James Adomian as President Bush. Jaimie Trueblood/New Line Cinema
On set in Shreveport, Louisiana, 2007, Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay. Jaimie Trueblood
A University of Pittsburgh 2008 primary campaign event. Kristopher Radder
On the set of House circa 2009 with my wonderful stand-in who was told to wear brown makeup “for lighting purposes.” Peter Jacobson
With senior advisor Valerie Jarrett and her deputy Michael Strautmanis after my formal job interview, April 2009. AP Photos/Charles Dharapak
In the Oval with Tina Tchen, Candace Chin, Bryan Jung, and Eugene Kang, before Whappy and Diwali, 2009. Official White House Photo by Pete Souza
The president and the pandit under the famous Lansdowne portrait of George Washington, who probably never thought a Diwali observance would happen there. Official White House Photo by Pete Souza
Meeting NASCAR puppet Danny Hammerdropper, March 2012. (I blame Josh for all of this.) Jeff Dubinsky
Backstage at the 2012 Democratic National Convention. Dan Spilo
With the president’s videographer Hope Hall and senior video producer Thomas Kelley en route to New Delhi on Air Force One support, 2015. (Though a guest on the India delegation, I was excited to be put to work, too.) Kalpen Modi
On the tarmac in Riyadh with one of my seatmates, Bartlett Jackson, on the way back to DC.
After separate campaign events for Secretary Clinton in Ohio on October 13, 2016. Official White House Photo by Pete Souza
Shooting the Sunnyside pilot with director Oz Rodriguez, my cocreator Matt Murray, and actor Ana Villafa?e, Los Angeles, 2019. Romen Borsellino
Coach Zach (holding the baseball) and his Hawaii Pacific teammate Steven Camberos after practice. Half my shirt is soaked in sweat. Romen Borsellino
Sunnyside’s Thanksgiving episode! (From left, director Linda Mendoza, writer Ayo Edebiri, and cast Moses Storm, Samba Schutte, Kiran Deol, Sakina Jaffrey, Diana Maria Riva, Bernard White, me, Poppy Liu, and Joel Kim Booster.) Romen Borsellino
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This book has consumed the last five years of my life and wouldn’t have been possible without continued support from family, friends, and a dedicated team of people who I’ve worked with on various stages of developing this baby. A deep, heartfelt thank-you to everyone.
Mom and Dad, who happily answered endless questions and without whom none of this book or story would have been possible.
Josh, who offered incredible insight and feedback and who had to deal with me essentially being absent and locked in the office for months and months on end, in my pajamas, at a desk, popping out every so often to ask, “Is this funny?”