Disgraced & Daily Show Star Aasif Mandvi Shares His Quirky Obsessions and Explains Why You Might Be an A-Hole

Theater stars know what’s hot in entertainment, fashion and pop culture, so Broadway.com decided it was high time to tap in to the after-hours obsessions of our favorite stage actors. This week, Aasif Mandvi, who is moonlighting from his regular gig on The Daily Show to give a blistering performance as a Muslim-American lawyer in Disgraced at Lincoln Center Theater, lays out a fascinating mix of obsessions, some serious, some tongue-in-cheek (we think).

TV SHOW: Breaking Bad
“I admit it: I am powerless over this show. I sometimes spend days in a TV-induced haze doing nothing else; it’s a show about drugs that turns you into an addict. I'm so glad the same thing is not true for Dexter.” 

MOVIE: Searching for Sugar Man
“I just saw an amazing doc called Searching for Sugar Man, perhaps my favorite movie of the last few months. If you see this movie and are not moved by it...you're an asshole.” 

SONG OR SINGER: Rodriguez
“All I have been listening to lately is Rodriguez, this folk singer from the sixties who has been discovered for the first time in the 21st century. If you don't know what I am talking about it, read what i wrote about my favorite film, and if you don't like his music...you're an asshole.” 

APP: NOT Facebook
“Hey Facebook App...You suck on the iPhone! I've been wanting to say that for some time. Thank you.” 

  STAGE SHOW (OTHER THAN MY OWN): Tony 'N' Tina's Wedding
“I think about Tony 'n' Tina's Wedding a lot. I'll be honest, I wish I hadn't said that."

RANDOM OBSESSION: Slavoj Zizek
“A Slovenian philosopher, writer and cultural critic who I cannot stop thinking about."
 

ATHLETE: Missy Franklin
“Recently, while shooting a film, I met Olympic gold medalist Missy Franklin, and she let me play with her gold medals. Apparently, you are not supposed to bite them to see if they are made of chocolate. Missy does not speak to me anymore, but I still consider her a friend."

FASHION DESIGNER: John Varvatos
"I love Varvatos! If I could dress from top to bottom in Varvatos all day long, I would and I would talk about it all the time when I do interviews or when people ask me to write something about my various obsessions. Umm...do you think that will get me a free outfit?"

BOOK: American Dervish by Ayad Akhtar
“Read it, you will love it. I'm not saying that because Ayad wrote the play Disgraced, which I am currently starring in at Lincoln Center. Okay, I am; but regardless, I have read the book and it's really good. Okay I have not read the book yet, but everyone who has read it who I trust who are really harsh critics really loved this book and it got amazing reviews...I'm told. I feel this did not go well."

BEAUTY PRODUCT: Propecia
“It makes my hair grow — I love it."