While it seems studios have all but shelved feel-good movies, rom-coms, and over-the-top spoofs in favor of mega franchises and what they hope to be billion-dollar blockbusters, some filmmakers and actors have still got some laughs to put out into the world, and that’s where Asim Chaudhry, the star of Lionsgate’s The Honeymoon, comes in. From writer-director Dean Craig, the film centers on newlyweds Adam (Pico Alexander of Dickinson) and Sarah (Maria Bakalova of Bodies Bodies Bodies), who set out for their Venetian honeymoon after a somewhat disastrous wedding. That is, until, disaster continues when Adam’s lifelong friend and best man Bav (Chaudhry) crashes their getaway, foiling any plans of a romantic holiday and accidentally thrusts them into the schemes of a handsome and charming but dangerous criminal (Emily in Paris heartthrob Lucas Bravo).
"I absolutely loved filming The Honeymoon," Chaudhry said in an interview with MediaVillage, sharing that writer and director Dean Craig was very open to collaboration on the script and improvisation the day of filming. "It’s gotta be among the top three things that I’ve ever done with the amount of fun we had filming in Italy and the bonds we’ve made. "I think the funniest parts of the film were improvised. There were some things that didn’t make it in that were even more ridiculous."
As much of Chaudhry's career has been in the comedy field, the film's more serious and dramatic moments proved to be a challenge he was ready to tackle. "I've always enjoyed dramatic acting," he said. "There's a thin line between comedy and tragedy. I think that's why you see a lot of comedic actors that cross over into drama, and it's even harder the other way around. A comedian that can do straight acting is easier because with comedy you have to be a tragic character. You have to understand tragedy in order to do comedy."
Chaudhry also explained that although he has enjoyed playing a funny best friend or nice guy, he's ready for something darker. "I would love to do more dramatic stuff and I would love to be able to play the bad guy, because I have a nice friendly face, so I always get cast as the nice guy or an idiot," he noted. "But I am [ready for] more roles where I am playing the baddie."
The actor and comedian has certainly delved beyond comedy, with roles in projects like Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman, DC’s Wonder Woman 1984 and Netflix’s interactive horror special Black Mirror: Bandersnatch. Chaudhry is also set to write and direct his own horror film for BBC next year. The details are being kept tightly under wraps, but he admits he is a massive fan of horror and is thrilled at the opportunity.
Though The Honeymoon takes place across Europe, including London, Italy and even Slovenia where his groom and best man Adam and Bav try to outrun Slovenian police, the film was shot entirely in Rome and Venice. "Rome is now one of my favorite cities," he said. "Venice was amazing too, but I think it's a bit of an impractical city. Getting around is tough because you need to get a boat to literally go like two minutes across the street, but it you could take you half an hour. It was a pleasure and honor to be able to film in those locations.
"As an actor, I think you should always take on challenges to help you grow," he added. "I was definitely going out of my comfort zone by going to another country and filming during COVID times. There were still a lot of restrictions so we had to be safe and that was a big challenge, but I am really glad that we got a really sweet, funny film out of it."
When asked to recall when he felt represented on any screen for the first time, Chaudhry harkened back to a U.K. television series called Goodness Gracious Me, a sketch comedy show with a cast of Indian and Pakistani actors. "Growing up, that was a huge thing because the only representation I used to see on the screen was the shopkeeper in the soaps," he recalled.
Chaudry had the opportunity to work with one of the Goodness cast members, Sanjeev Bhaskar, in The Sandman. “I’m a big believer in giving people their flowers while they can still smell them. I told him, 'You are a legend. You were a huge inspiration to me growing up. You made me believe I could go into comedy and you made it feel real when there were no other Brown faces around doing what you were doing.' He was so sweet and he said, 'Yeah, but now you are the person for your generation.' It was amazing working with him."
In closing, Chaudhry shared that working on the film also set him on a quest to plan his own honeymoon. "If you watch past the credits of the movie, you'll see that I proposed to my now wife and we did this whole plan and it was an amazing, unforgettable experience," he said.
The Honeymoon is in theaters, on digital and on-demand December 16th.
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