Jack Topalian: From Business to Euphoria, Unscripted

Let us know what you think!Hollywood has been casting this man as the villain for 12 years. The mob boss. The criminal. The dangerous one.His family fled the Armenian Genocide. His uncle fought the Nazis. And this country looked at him and decided he was the threat.Jack Topalian plays Nasim/Naz in HBO's Euphoria — a role that became one of the most talked-about Armenian moments in television history, almost entirely by accident. The Armenian coffee cups, the cigarette, the unscripted Armenian dialogue with his on-screen bodyguard — none of it was in the script. He asked for it scene by scene, and the show's creator said yes.In this episode of INSIGHT, Emma Sargsyan sits down with Jack Topalian for a conversation about Hollywood, identity, masculinity, fame, fear and what it actually costs to keep being cast as the villain.ABOUT JACK TOPALIANJack Topalian is an actor known for his roles in Argo, Shock and Awe, True Detective, Ray Donovan, Emily the Criminal, Clipped, Duster and HBO's Euphoria, where he plays Naz. Born in Soviet Armenia, he came to the United States at age ten and spent over four decades in business before pivoting to acting.ABOUT INSIGHTINSIGHT is the first Armenian-English language power and culture podcast in the United States, hosted by Emma Sargsyan. Distributed across all major podcast platforms and across the global Armenian diaspora.TIMESTAMPS00:30 How the Euphoria role happened04:00 The unscripted Armenian coffee scene09:00 Has he ever been the villain in his own story12:00 The biggest lie successful people tell16:00 Why he pivoted to acting after 40 years in business21:00 Being Armenian in America at age 1027:00 The night he drove home drunk31:00 Method acting and what it does to the mind36:00 The critic question38:00 Masculinity in Hollywood today42:00 Why Armenians keep playing the villain48:00 What he actually sacrificed51:00 The accidental audition through his children55:00 If social media disappeared tomorrow#Euphoria #JackTopalian #Hollywood #ArmenianAmerican #INSIGHT #EmmaInsight #Acting #Masculinity #ArmenianCommunity #IdentitySupport the showSubscribe to the Youtube Channel Follow me on Instagram