Warning! Spoilers for Only Murders in the Building season 4, episode 8 “Lifeboat.”
Only Murders in the Buildingco-creator John Huffman reveals that Kumail Nanjiani, who plays Rudy, originally recited Jack Nicholson’s entire monologue fromA Few Good Men. The current murder being investigated is Sazz (Jane Lynch), who plays Charles' (Steve Martin) stunt double. In season 4, episode 8, “Lifeboat,” the Westies detail their relationship with Milton Dudenoff throughout the years. Rudy recalls the monologue he did for Dudenoff at the bus stop when they first met.
Huffman tellsTheWrapthat the monologue “was not scripted” for Nanjiani to do “the entire scene,” but the comedianhad “the entire thing memorized” and “dazzled” everyone on the set with “one take"during filming. Sadly, they had to “jump through” it because the full length was “three to five minutes,” resulting ina “cut-down version” of the monologue. Huffman also revealed thatNanjiani had “the most hilarious improv"and he has never worked with “anyone quite like” him. Check out what Huffman said below:
I have never worked with anyone quite like Kumail Nanjiani. I love him so much. Each time he came to work, he had this mountain of additional dialogue and extended from every scene he had. He would button scenes with the most hilarious improv, but he had worked on them all and memorized them all and was able to list through perfectly. We were all howling.
When we got to that monologue, it was not scripted that he would do the entire scene. It was a different organization within the story, but he showed up the day before and said I have the entire thing memorized. And I said what do you mean the entire thing memorized?
When we were on set, we were not intending to do all of it. There were a couple of ways we were going to do it that we had scripted, but I said, ‘Just in case we want the whole thing done here in the room, could you get up and just do that?’ And he said ‘Yes, I would love to do that.’ And we rolled and it was letter perfect, the entire thing. Everyone applauded after and was dazzled. It was one take.
In the cut, we jump through because if we’d done the whole thing, it’d be five minutes. It was like three to five minutes straight through fully acting it out. So what you’re seeing is truly a cut down version of what he did.
What Huffman’s Comment Means For Rudy in Only Murders in the Building
Nanjiani’s Stand-Up Background Works Well For Rudy
Nanjiani’s monologue is one of episode 8’s comedic highlights while the trio continues their investigation to find outwho killed Sazz. The scene used the “jump through” method to fit the monologue into the runtime. Still, it doesn’t stop Nanjiani from leaving an impression. Huffman’s comment offers insight into how the actor achieved the emotional momentum in the scene. He also suggests thatthe monologue could have been longer.The scene was filmed in one take, which also suggested thatMabel, Oliver, Charles, and the rest’s reactions in the scene were genuine.
Only Murders In The Building Season 4, Episode 4 Ending Explained: Is THAT Sazz’s Killer?
Only Murders in the Building’s latest cliffhanger ends with a gun pointed at the trio, and potentially reveals who killed Sazz Pataki.
Nanjiani has some of the most hilarious moments in the show.Since he joinedOnly Murders in the Buildingseason 4, his comedic charm has seamlessly enriched the series. Starting his career as a stand-up comedian, Najiani has transformed his career into taking high-profile roles. Huffman’s comment indicates thatmost of Rudy’s best moments were likely done through improvisations, much like the epic monologue in episode 8. It also means thatthe show offered him plenty of creative freedom to co-design Rudy’s character.
Our Take on Nanjiani’s Role in Only Murders in the Building
He Shines As The Character
Rudy doesn’t have a lot of screen time inOnly Murders in the Building, given that the role is relatively small, beingone of the many Westies, but Nanjiani still manages to bring the best out of his character.The few moments when Rudy has the spotlight are all memorable.The unfortunate YouTube workout instructor who accidentally became the"Christmas-All-the-Time Guy” is a wonderful addition to the show’s star-studded team.
Only Murders in the Buildinghasone of the best Nanjiani rolesbecause it allows him the freedom to bring more to the character. The actor has been involved in a few big franchises, but his role as superheroKingo in the Marvel Cinematic Universeis much less impressive, given that Marvel only wanted the star to fit into their own superhero mold. Nanjiani’s Dinesh inSilicon Valley,on the other hand, has a lot to offer.
