Abdullah Saeed’s Deli Boys debuted last year with a bang, quickly establishing itself as one of the most vibrant, funny, and well-rendered shows streaming. Now, the Hulu series—which follows the ups and downs of the Dars, two Pakistani-American brothers struggling to run their late father’s crime syndicate—is back for its sophomore season.
The dynamic between Mir and Raj Dar (Asif Ali and Saagar Shaikh, respectively) is as goofy and delightful as ever, but it’s Never Have I Ever star Poorna Jagannathan who ruthlessly steals scenes as the boys’ Lucky Auntie. Lucky, a longtime associate of the Dar brothers’ father, is always fabulously dressed and utterly unburdened by conscience—but in Season 2 of Deli Boys, her world is expanded by way of a brand-new relationship with fellow crime boss Max Sugar (Fred Armisen).
This week, Vogue spoke to Jagannathan about vulnerability and the limits of power, conducting a onscreen love affair with Armisen, and taking fashion inspiration from her character.
Vogue: What was it like to portray a slightly softer side of Lucky in Season 2?
Poorna Jagannathan: It was fantastic. Just giving her a love interest also gave her a built-in backstory, because she has to learn how to be in a relationship, which she probably is horrible at. She’s probably killed everyone she doesn’t get along with. [Laughs.] She has to learn how to be vulnerable and open up, and she has to be dragged to therapy, which you couldn’t ever imagine her doing. It’s also seeing Max Sugar have the kind of power that she wants; I don’t know if you noticed this, but Fred’s character never does any of the dirty work himself, it’s all delegated. Lucky is like, oh, this is what my life could be if I was the boss and could actually delegate and had actual functioning human beings helping me, not these two complete dumbasses. It’s a world that is super appealing and sexy to her.
What was it like working with Fred Armisen?
The most interesting thing about working with Fred is watching him. When there’s a joke written in, I do everything to pounce on it and amplify it and make sure it lands and make sure it’s communicated, but Fred will just be with the joke. He just doesn’t chase it. He lets the joke come to him. He’s that much of a comedic legend.
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