Growing Up Irooni- Payam Banifaz

Payam Banifaz is an actor and comedian based in LA, and he’s been in a ton of tv shows and movies you’ve probably seen- Shameless, Silicon Valley, Veep, and most recently Everything Everywhere at Once. But many of you might know him best for his amazing videos depicting growing up in an Iranian American family with a very Iranian father. He started making these videos in April 2020, and they immediately gained traction and have become such an endearing and poignant depiction of what it’s like to grow up in an immigrant Iranian household.

I asked Payam about his journey to becoming an actor, and how he was able to broach his decision with his father- spoiler alert, it was not easy. 

Many of you are going to relate so much to this conversation- it’s one of those ones where I was smiling the entire time I was editing, and didn’t want to cut anything out- that’s when you know it’s going to be good. So, without further ado, please enjoy this conversation with Payam Banifaz. (full transcript for this conversation coming soon!)

Related Links:

• Payam Banifaz on Instagram