Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with The Red Line’s Vinny Chhibber

Quadruple threat Vinny Chhibber is an artist who’s using his craft to facilitate change. He started his career as an actor but jumped into writing, producing, and directing when he noticed the lack of opportunities for someone who looked like him. He took matters into his own hands, creating inclusive stories that featured three-dimensional characters that were anything but stereotypical. This spring, he’ll star in groundbreaking miniseries, The Red Line, which checks all the boxes. Pop Culturalist spoke with Vinny about The Red Line.

The Red Line Questions

PC: Tell us about The Red Line, your character, and what drew you to this project.
Vinny: The Red Line is an eight-episode original limited series that follows three very different Chicago families as they journey toward hope and healing after a tragedy causes them all to consider how race and racial biases affect their lives.

Liam Bhatt, the character I play in The Red Line, is a Muslim-American teacher who works at the school where Daniel (Noah Wyle) and his daughter, Jira (Aliyah Royale), teach and attend, respectively. When Daniel’s husband (and Jira’s father) is killed, Liam does his best to be there for the Calder family and help them cope with the tragedy.

As far as what drew me to the project, there are a few reasons:

1. I feel like the show is a compelling exploration of the society and country we currently live in, in a way that is deeply human. Strip away the politics and the rhetoric, and it’s just people trying to do the best they can to make the world a better place for their friends, family, and loved ones, day by day, which is also an image of the country that I hold closely: one of hope and one of strength, even when the odds are overwhelmingly stacked against us.

2. The chance to work with the people involved was a big deal for me. Creative activism is a real thing for Ava [DuVernay], Greg [Berlanti] and Sarah [Schechter], and they have been and will continue to be at the forefront of that movement. Caitlin [Parrish] and Erica [Weiss] wrote such a timely, wonderfully nuanced story—one that makes you happy and sad and angry and excited all at the same time. My cast mates, who…wow, brought it every single day. This wasn’t easy material to contend with, and based on what I’ve seen so far, y’all are in for one hell of a story.

PC: The social issues, events, and themes covered in the series are incredibly relevant to what’s going on in the world today. Does that add more weight to a project like this?
Vinny: I can’t speak for everyone, but for me, the answer to your question is unequivocally, YES. Being a person of color, I felt that responsibility from the first time I read the script: the responsibility to make sure I honored the world, the story, and the characters that we were bringing to life with compassion and without judgement.

PC: What can you tease about Liam’s arc throughout the series?
Vinny: My lips are sealed! You’ll have to tune in on April 28th to find out. [laughs]

PC: What was your biggest takeaway from The Red Line?
Vinny: I used to think that when it came to storytelling, you could either show the world the way it is or show the world the way you’d want it to be. I think with this show we’ve managed to do both, and I’m proud that I was a part of that process.

PC: There can be comparisons drawn between The Red Line and your production and theatre companies. How did those come to fruition? Tell us about their missions.
Vinny: Five years ago, I started a production company, Chhibber Mann Productions, and a theatre company, Ammunition Theatre Company, within twelve months of each other. How both companies are similar to The Red Line is that all three are predicated on the idea of creative activism—using art to facilitate change, communication, and empathy in the communities around us. The hope is that we produce work that addresses social issues, but also empowers people, whether they are the story tellers or the audience.

PC: There have been a lot of conversations in Hollywood about diversity and inclusion. What has your experience been like as a South Asian? Have you felt the small progress that’s been made?
Vinny: When I first started out, there was a very narrow perspective of what your place in the American film and television narrative was as a South Asian. Your job was either that of the doctor/coder/scientist or terrorist. You were mostly the butt of the joke—the socially, sexually incompetent sideshow. Oh, and you were almost always someone that was constantly struggling with their cultural and social identity…with an accent. Not to say these roles no longer exist, because they absolutely do, however, there has been some progress. I can say that because of the writers I’ve worked with who write characters that are informed by, not defined by, their ethnic or cultural backgrounds, the producers I know who are making investments into artists and stories from communities that have been historically marginalized, and the casting directors that have made it a point to cultivate and advocate for emerging talent regardless of skin color and/or background—I can say that because all of those events took place on The Red Line—and it took every single person at the network, at the studio and on that production to make a commitment to inclusive storytelling for that to happen. I’m not saying it’s easy, but it is possible…and the hope is that someday THAT is the standard, not the exception.

Career Questions

PC: How did you discover your passion for acting, writing, directing, and producing? Is there one that you naturally gravitate towards?
Vinny: When I was fifteen, I did a production of Romeo & Juliet and that was it. [laughs] Acting will always be my first love, but to answer your question, writing/directing/producing came about because:

1. At the time, there were not many opportunities out there for someone that looked like me, and the opportunities that did present themselves almost always perpetuated the South Asian stereotype that I did not identify with, so I decided to start and try to create those opportunities for myself and my friends.

2. Most of the people I looked up to from a career perspective, whether it was George Clooney, Reese Witherspoon, or Aamir Khan, were doing one or all of those things too.

PC: What’s been the biggest lesson you’ve learned having been a part of this industry?
Vinny: Never, ever ask permission to do what it is you love to do. Never aim to please…simply live your truth, enjoy your creativity, and embrace your freedom. Do what it is that makes your heart beat and you can’t go wrong.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: Guilty pleasure TV show?
Vinny: Billions

PC: Guilty pleasure movie?
Vinny: Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge

PC: Favorite book?
Vinny: The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss or anything by Neruda.

PC: Favorite play or musical?
Vinny: Tommy

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Vinny: Little Dragon

PC: Last show you binge-watched?
Vinny: Just caught up on Star Trek: Discovery…really great show. Michelle Yeoh is amazing.

PC: Hidden talent?
Vinny: My karaoke game is pretty strong.

To keep up with Vinny, follow him on Twitter and Instagram, and catch The Red Line on Sunday, April 28 at 8/7c.

Photo Credit: Sela Shiloni