Kumail Nanjiani capped off a big week by paying off a bet he made with “Baby Driver” director Edgar Wright — who made him promise that if the comedian’s lauded film “The Big Sick” got nominated for an Oscar, he would eat his most hated food: brussels sprouts.
Sure enough, Nanjiani was nominated with his wife, Emily V. Gordon, for Best Adapted Screenplay after a 2017 in which “The Big Sick” got critical acclaim for its true tale about how the couple first met. Wright took pictures of Nanjiani paying off the bet, washing it down with a nice glass of champagne. Nanjiani responded to the photos by saying he’s “never been happier to lose a bet.”
I love Brussels Sprouts. Mr @kumailn does not. Last year I said he and @emilyvgordon would be nominated for Original Screenplay at the 2018 Oscars and that if I was right he had to eat a bowl of sprouts. So last night we celebrated with that classic combo: champagne and sprouts. pic.twitter.com/7bHRaMa0tD
— edgarwright (@edgarwright) January 25, 2018
I’ve never been happier to lose a bet & eat a bowl of something I dislike. Thank you @edgarwright! https://t.co/52XYJZSKNh
— Kumail Nanjiani (@kumailn) January 25, 2018
Wright himself also has reason to celebrate, as “Baby Driver” received nominations for Best Film Editing, Sound Mixing, and Sound Editing; and he says that the editors and sound designers who worked with him on the film told them before that this would happen.
Even though I didn’t write this with Oscars in mind, I do remember saying in an early pre green light meeting at Sony that ‘Baby Driver’ was guaranteed a best Sound Editing nomination. True!
— edgarwright (@edgarwright) January 23, 2018
And further to that, co-editor Jon Amos just reminded me on the phone that I said way back in 2015 (after a screening at the Prince Charles Cinema of ‘Fistful Of Fingers’) that he and Paul were going to get an Editing nomination for ‘Baby Driver’. We had not started filming yet.
— edgarwright (@edgarwright) January 23, 2018
And finally, my sound wizard Julian Slater reminded me (I had forgotten this) that in 2015 after a screening of ‘Pride’ in Beverly Hills, I ran into him and said a) Baby Driver was definitely happening and b) he was going to get nominated for his Sound work. Call me Nostra-Edgar.
— edgarwright (@edgarwright) January 23, 2018
