‘Chad’ Star Nasim Pedrad on Being a Woman Playing a Teen Boy in the Coming-of-Age Comedy
Q&A
You may have seen Nasim Pedrad on shows like Saturday Night Live and New Girl, but now she’s stepping outside of the box for her latest role in TBS’s upcoming comedy Chad.
Starring as the titular character in this coming-of-age tale, Pedrad, who also created the series, brings to life an awkward 14-year-old Persian boy whose main goal is to achieve popularity in his freshman year. Below, Pedrad opens up about the personal experiences that inspired the project, and what it takes to transform into Chad, and more.
What should viewers know about Chad before diving in?
Nasim Pedrad: All he wants in life is to fit in and, in his mind, everything around him is conspiring against that. So he just has this rigid determination to become popular. A lot of the comedy comes from the fact that he’s willing to do it at all costs.
Chad’s pretty awkward and klutzy. Do you relate to that?
I was such a tomboy in every way. So, weirdly, Chad is not far from how I remember myself at that age. But obviously, as an adult woman playing a young child, I knew I needed to disappear into the character to really sell the conceit at the center of this show, which is an adult is playing the teenager in this coming-of-age story.
I knew that the wig, eyebrows, posture, the binder that I wear under my shirts, and the little mannerisms I developed as I began creating the character and riffing as him would help me in the performance. We began with the external shell and then, from that, I went inward with figuring out, “What does he sound like? How does he think? How does he talk? What are his speech patterns? How articulate is he?”
A big part of Chad’s story is his family life. How important was it to also flesh out those characters?
It was critical in the sense that I needed to make sure the show was honest and authentic. More often than not, I was drawing from my own life, from specific things that I experienced in my childhood as a child of immigrant parents at that precarious age where you just desperately want to fit in. While you love your heritage and you love your parents, there’s also something really scary about feeling different, and there’s an inner conflict that I thought would be rich to explore that was very authentic to my experience growing up.
(Credit: TBS)
There are such specific markers of childhood and adolescence that I think really accentuate that. For me, growing up with a name that people couldn’t pronounce was extremely alienating. Something so simple and specific could end up just absolutely defining your identity at that age.
What else can viewers expect?
One thing the show does explore that you haven’t necessarily seen in other coming-of-age stories is that Chad’s not cool, but he’s also not being actively bullied. He’s his own worst enemy and he gets his ass handed to him in every single episode, but by his own doing. The popular kids aren’t bullying Chad, they’re generally very tolerant, nice, and accepting. They just don’t notice him, which to Chad is even worse, and so it sends him into a tailspin that gets him in trouble.
Chad, Series Premiere, Tuesday, April 6, 10:30/9:30c, TBS
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C
odd because when i saw the previews for this show i knew this was a girl, then its supposed to be a boy .i was thinking maybe that part of the role like a transitioning role of some sort or they are hiding they are girl for the actual plot but its not.this is very strange for sure.i doubt this show make it far...
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R
Another stupid t.v show on TBS.
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G
I thought Chad was a girl too, but thinking the show wants to push that agenda of girls that want to be boys got very confused concerning the plot...It is not very funny and just adds more stupidity for our children to digest...
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R
I am so confused! I thought Chad was trans. He’s supposed to be a cisgender boy??? Why have him played by an adult woman? The narcissism one must have that they feel they are the only one who could play the lead character in a show they created! At first, I was so happy to see the representation of young transgender people on network television. Then, I watched an episode where Chad is the victim of a hate crime. After reading this article and learning the truth, I’m so disappointed.
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G
It's terrible. It's doomed to fail. Don't get your hopes up.
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B
I love the show. Kinda weird/funny/dark even. No issues filling Chad recognizing his identity as a male teen. However for a split second in the pilot wondered if he was struggling with identy issues & that would be for front of show. All in I loving the show. Also, I get the premise, that he is outspoken & desperate to fit as well a misfit but having lived in America for Past 7 yrs & no accent, he is almost too innocent to believe unless he was mentally disabled. My opinion! Love it, not so patiently waiting for it! (Don’t make us wait all summer!) Lol
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R
From the start it was apparent the main character isn't a boy. It's stupid and I'll never watch it.
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O
An adult woman playing a teenage boy...who, btw does NOT look like a boy, is a stupid idea.
I have not watched the show because it doesn't look very entertaining....but just seeing commercials, Chad appears to be a transgender character.
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