Kumail Nanjiani can relate to his Only murders in the building character from season four.
The actor stopped Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Friday, where he briefly previewed the current season of the Emmy-winning series, in which he plays the “boy who's always at Christmas,” aka Rudy Thurber, a resident of Arconia.
“He's a guy who's really obsessed with Christmas, which is good,” she told the late-night host. “I really, really love Christmas. And so, for me, it wasn't hard, because you know what, I was in my 20s when I moved here, I'd never celebrated Christmas, and then all of a sudden, at 20, you're celebrating Christmas for the first time. It was amazing.”
However, unlike some Christmas fanatics, who start decorating as soon as Halloween is over (or even earlier), Nanjiani waits until early December to deck the halls, like a “reasonable” person, he joked.
When Jimmy Kimmel said he couldn't think of a roommate he'd prefer less than the guy who always spends Christmas, Eternals The actor agreed, especially in Los Angeles.
“It feels a little bit like, especially here, even in December, when you're driving around, and it's really warm, and 'It's starting to feel a lot like Christmas,'” he said, singing the popular Christmas song. “You feel like, 'It really isn't. It almost feels like you're going haywire, in the middle of July, listening to Christmas songs.'”
In another part of the talk show appearance, Nanjiani also recalled what it was like working with Steve Martin and Martin Short on Only murders in the building, which has already been renewed for a fifth season.
He admitted he was “very nervous” about acting alongside the comedy legends because he grew up watching their films and felt he had to keep a low profile so as not to appear like a fanboy.
“Their atmosphere is so good,” the Welcome to Chippendales star said. “I mean, you know, I saw Martin Short calling Steve Martin, a white-haired asshole. I thought, 'Wow, I'm really living the dream right now.'”
The current season of the comedy series follows the main trio of Charles Hayden-Savage, Oliver Putnam and Mabel Mora, played by Martin, Short and Selena Gomez, respectively, as they investigate the murder of Charles' longtime friend and stunt double, Sazz Pataki (Jane Lynch).
Nanjiani is one of several newcomers to the series for this installment. She joins Eva Longoria, Molly Shannon, Eugene Levy, Zach Galifianakis, Melissa McCarthy and more. Meryl Streep also reprises her season three role as Loretta Durkin.
New episodes of Only murders in buildings Season four currently airs on Hulu every Tuesday, until the season finale on October 29.