Pop Culture Planet Podcast: Rahul Kohli Talks Next Exit, End Of Days, and Working With Mike Flanagan
Rahul Kohli returns to the Pop Culture Planet podcast to speak with Kristen Maldonado in the season 3 finale. They talk about his new existential project Next Exit, his experience working with the rising stars of The Midnight Club, the pressures of trying to represent for everyone, and why he loves working with Mike Flanagan.
Episode Quotes
Rahul Kohli on exploring the deep existential story of Next Exit: “I don’t ask those questions of myself probably because of my belief system. I’m an atheist, so I don’t question why we’re here. It’s all a beautiful, chaotic mess. This is your little snapshot and then the rest is nothingness.”
Kohli on beauty coming out of darkness: “I know that a lot of people have been doing a lot of soul searching for the last few years. Without sounding dramatic — and you know, I’m only 37 — but I don’t remember a time worse than this. It really does feel like the end of days. […] When times are down it really inspired wonderful art, so we’ve got that to look forward to.”
Kohli on how he joined the production of Next Exit: “I can’t talk about Next Exit without talking about Midnight Mass. Midnight Mass played very heavily into Next Exit. I was working on it. I was getting to the end of Mass. I think we were approaching the last block and Mike Flanagan had send me Mali [Elfman]’s script to read. And so did Rose McIver and so did my manager Kimberlin. I got it three ways and I still wouldn’t read it because we were in the middle of shooting. We were the first [production] in Covid and it required being bubbled, it required being away from home for however long and so the last thing I wanted to think about was work. But Mike asked me again he was like, ‘Hey, look, if you're going to pass, past. Marley's a good friend of mine so have a look or not.’ I sat down with the material and I was like, ‘Oh, this is really good. I really like the premise. It's a damn shame because I'm not going to do it because I'd only have 10 days off. […] I got triangulated. They sent my industry sister Rose, then my manager [who’s] like my mum, and then Mike who’s been my dad, big brother, boss, whatever.”
Kohli on Midnight Mass’s Sheriff Hassan vs Next Exit’s Teddy: “Sheriff Hassan was […] very stoic and rigid and required a ton of prep and I had to learn you know Arabic and Islamic prayers. I was speaking an American accent and I was playing this much older dude. Very reserved, trying real hard not to let his emotions show, and Teddy looked like a vacation from that. Teddy was fast talking and he's a motor mouth. It was originally an American, but I asked to just use my natural accent otherwise I wasn't interested. Mali was like, ‘Yeah, we can do that.’ Just so I could be free because so much prep had to go into Mass that this job was a real exercise in being free with the material and just being present and not having to over rehearse.”
Kohli on being comfortable with Next Exit’s Teddy: “I had a laugh. I just showed up. I asked for no makeup. I think I had powder for shine. I didn't want my hair done. I always wanted to have just bed head, so I didn't do anything to my beard. I wore the same costume I asked for, just a change of t-shirts and the t-shirts are all failed business ventures of Teddy. […] I was super comfortable the whole time and then when we were in the car, under the seat I had snacks. Because I had been working out for Mass and trying to stay fit for the sheriff, once we wrapped normally I'd go on like this big food binge and Teddy was going on a food binge. So all that pancake eating, I was doing it non-stop. I put on so much weight filming Next Exit because you know it was like a vacation job.”
Kohli on working with Sauriyan Sapkota in The Midnight Club: “He makes me very excited for the industry. He has ‘it’ in spades. You guys only saw me on camera at 28-years-old [on] iZombie. There’s no way I could do what Sauriyan was doing at 20, 21, 22. This is an immensely talented actor. He’s a really funny dude. I never felt like a big brother to him. That came later. He felt like just a colleague. Like an actor. He didn’t need his handheld. He didn’t need to know what this meant or that meant or any of that stuff. The only time is became brotherly was [The Fall of the House of Usher, which is] his second show.”
Kohli on the advice he gave Sauriyan Sapkota: “I’ve talked to him about interviews and junkets and being South Asian. If you don’t want to talk about your race, then don’t let anyone dictate what you do. Don’t let people get sound bites. Don’t feel the pressure of representing billions. They put that on you. Worry about yourself.”
Kohli on the pressures of representing: “I felt that all of a sudden. Just because I’m on TV for five minutes, now I represent these people? [It’s] a big weight to put on your shoulders. Yeah, you are out there. You are representing. People do see themselves and [that’s] great, but I don’t have to take that in. I’m still my own person. I’m not going to allow that to dictate who I feel. That stuff that’s passive. I felt like that because I didn’t have media training. I just was in, eyes on me, and then all of a suddenly it was like, ‘Hey, we’re from this magazine […] what’s it like being Indian?’ I’d feel compelled to create some inspiring, thoughtful answer and I wish someone had said don’t worry about it. You don’t have to answer it. […] You don’t all of a sudden have to become a politician. You don’t suddenly have to be flying the flag. […] It’s very personal to us and I wanted him to know that it’s okay whatever his stance on it is. […] It’s okay to say no. It’s alright if you don’t feel comfortable with it.”
Kohli on why he loves working with Mike Flanagan: It's really simple. I really enjoy being in his company. I am very fond of him. I feel that warmth back from Mike. […] He's straying into being my friend and, it's weird to say this, but I feel like my friends’ scripts and projects are far more interesting than some of the stuff that I've been sent. I'm like, ‘Oh, but my mate wants me to do this one and look at this and look at this character.’ I’m always interested in working with him as an actor. Bbut at its core […] he's a friend. He's someone I trust, he's someone I'm very fond of, and he's part of my LA family. When I am away traveling and I come home I do check in with Mike and Kate [Siegel]. I'm like, ‘What are they up to? I want to see him.’”
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Hosted by TV and film critic Kristen Maldonado, Pop Culture Planet is a video podcast featuring analytical pop culture discussions and interviews with diverse voices in the entertainment space. Watch episodes on youtube.com/kaymaldo or listen on your favorite podcast platforms, from Spotify to Apple Podcasts and beyond.
