Co-creator, star knows ‘Ramy’ has blind spots, but that’s OK
“Ramy” is a comedy about a purposeless Muslim American millennial who blows up the lives of everyone around him in his quest to be a better person. But the Hulu series is also about the wants and desires of an immigrant family, the sex life of a disabled, wheelchair-using young man, a sister’s hair-loss journey and the efforts of a black religious leader to make the world a better place — even if that world is New Jersey.
Now in its second season, the quirky series about a boy and his self-worth starring comedian Ramy Youssef poses profound questions about faith and commitment alongside smart humor that plays out in compromising situations. If you’ve ever wondered how one comes out as gay in the macho, Arab immigrant community or convinces their superstitious Egyptian parents that Instagram likes aren’t tantamount to being cursed by the evil eye, “Ramy” is here for you.
This year, Oscar-winner Mahershala Ali joins Youssef, 29, who writes, directs and cocreated the show with Ari Katcher and Ryan Welch. Youssef spoke about the experience. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Second seasons are scary, especially when your debut was as successful as “Ramy” was.
Second seasons are horrifying for sure. I didn’t want to be on the same exact track. (Ramy) is always asking questions. He’s always going to be a seeker. That’s the nature of this character. But we really wanted him to sit in his problems more. But how do we look at faith from a more tangible place because it’s such an ethereal thing? Having Mahershala as (Sufi Sheikh Ali) really helped nail that structure for season two.
Mahershala is commanding as Ramy’s disciplined, spiritual guide, and he’s also really good at this comedy thing.
A big part of why Mahershala wanted in was because he’d never really done a straight-up comedy. (On set) he had so many questions, which was unreal. You have a dude of his caliber, and he’d be like “Hey, man, is that good? What do you think I should do here?” ... He jumped into our system, and it was so exciting to have it feel like he’s naturally part of the world and not just pulling some cameo.
Is there a pressure to speak to Muslim Americans when you’re writing?
I can’t write for that because it’s only going to give me heartache. It’s really hard to write to want to please people or to fix the world. These are things that I think hurt a show. My show is built to be loved and to be criticized because of the lack of other stories from a Muslim point of view. As a creator, I can’t write for that love and I can’t write for that criticism; otherwise it’s going to feel like a hodgepodge. Ramy is very limited, so the show has blind spots. It’s wrong a lot, and I’m OK with that, mostly because it’s my job to be wrong. That’s what I’m supposed to do. I’m a comedian. I’m a clown, and I’m cool with that.
You don’t exude the vibe of someone who wants to be on screen . ... What makes you want to get in front of the camera?
I talk a lot to my agent about being in things that I’m not right for. It’s been cool getting the (Golden) Globe, and a lot of things came my way, but I don’t know that I’d be good at them. Not to undersell myself (laughs). But I don’t know that I would enjoy it. A good performance is about feeling really captivated by what the piece is saying. Being motivated by these feelings and ideas coming out in the most human way possible. It’s something from doing stand-up that’s extended to my show — an intimacy with the audience . ... I have to feel what’s behind this thing that’s happening.