Interview: Nadia Dajani on Showtime’s The Big C

Actress, Nadia Dajani continues to heat up The Big C as Tina, Cathy’s competition. Yes, you read that right. She’s a feisty one. Keep reading to find out more!

Can you tell me about your role on The Big C?
I play Tina, a local gal who went to high school with Cathy. She’s a little bit of a party girl. The nickname for Tina in high school was rugby slut.

Is there a possibility that you could come back later in the season or is Paul seriously committed to getting Cathy back?
I’m not sure that I can answer that but yeah, there is room for coming back.

What was your favorite scene to shoot?
There is a scene where I approach Paul in his car and proposition him and that was a lot of fun.

So what has The Big C taught you in life?
As corny as it might sound, go for it. Stop sitting around and being a sloth. Just pick up and go live.

Switching topics, what can you tell us about what to expect in the rest of Delocated Season 2?
My character is doing a bit of dating. That’s what I can say with a big grin on my face.

So what has been the most challenging or craziest thing that you have done on Delocated?
What was challenging for me is something that wouldn’t be interesting for anyone else at all. I had back surgery last year, so I have a disc in my back. I was wearing these very high heels for one scene where I had to walk up and down a flight of stairs twice in the scene. We did that quite a few times so that was challenging for me.

You also have a lot of theatre experience, so do you see yourself getting back into theatre any time soon?
I don’t know. Theatre is tough. I also think that theatre has changed a lot and become like Hollywood. Even for Off Broadway, it seems like it is necessary to have names. So I don’t know but I love doing plays. I did a theatre piece last fall. It was a limited engagement and for one night a week. It was for charity and done by the writers of Sex & the City and that was a whole heap of fun.

How did your web series, Caught Off Base become a concept and take off?
Acting jobs have been phenomenal but this is the thing that is bringing me so much joy right now, even though it’s the hardest work. I grew up a big baseball fan, a big Yankees fan. I love the game and everything about it. As a fan, I am completely bored with the same sports interviews day in and day out, month after month, year after year. Watching my favorite players and players that I thought were interesting, I just wanted to know more about them by seeing their playful side. I think the fans love that. The players that I know love being funny and talking about anything other than you know, a double play they made. So I had a friend in major league baseball that I went to last winter and pitched this concept. They really liked the idea, so I shot a Pilot with the Dodgers for 2 days during Spring training. That’s the first 10 episodes and that was so much fun. It was also intimidating since I had never been myself in front of or talked to the camera. So it was a big learning curve for me but it was so gratifying.

How did you form a love for baseball?

My older brothers were big baseball fans, so since I had to follow them around, I started playing. I played little league and it went from there. When there used to be a lot of day games during the week, Yankee Stadium sort of became our babysitter. We would get there by the third inning, sit in the bleachers, and when the game was over we would meet mom at home. There are a lot of great memories at the old Yankee Stadium.

Lastly, what are your other upcoming projects?
I am currently shooting a new show with Dana Delany called Body of Proof. It’s a procedural drama about a woman who is a crime investigator by forensics. I am an office worker and my best friend and boss has just recently been discovered to be murdered. They shoot in Rhode Island and my God, the cast is so lovely and Dana is just a peach. They are all so nice and Rhode Island is great.

The Big C airs Mondays at 10:30/9:30c on Showtime.