Breakout star Bardia Seiri makes his feature film debut in Netflix’s highly anticipated laugh-out-loud coming-of-age comedy, Incoming.
Bardia shines as Koosh, the annoying buddy who’s just a little outside the core friend group, à la McLovin. Koosh is still growing into himself but might just have a heart of gold hidden inside somewhere – a part of himself that he doesn’t know how to embrace yet.
Incoming follows four freshmen who are faced with the greatest challenge of their young lives: their first high school party. The film examines teenage selfhood and the sensitivities that come with adolescence, peer pressure, friendship, and young love. As one of the core four, Koosh comes from a wealthy family and is hyper-focused on stepping out of his older brother’s shadow while also living up to his reputation and popularity. Throughout the film, we see Koosh growing into himself and making quite a few mistakes along the way while navigating the high school social and party scene. Bardia stars alongside Mason Thames (Benj), Ramon Reed (Eddie), and Raphael Alejandro (Connor). Veteran actors Bobby Cannavale (The Watcher), Kaitlin Olson (It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia), and Scott Macarthur (The Mick) also star in the film written and directed by David and John Chernin.
Born in Iran, Bardia moved to the United States with his family when he was four years old, and he credits his work ethic to his parents. He always looked up to his father, who is also an accomplished actor, and showed him the ropes. Appearing in commercials as a baby, Bardia quickly stepped into his acting shoes and developed a genuine love for the craft as he got older, with his father teaching him everything he knows about acting. Bardia and his family eventually planted their roots in California, which opened more opportunities for him to pursue his dreams. Bardia is best known for his role of Farouk where he recurred on two different seasons of the hit show, ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ and was even nominated for best supporting actor in the third annual Young Entertainers Awards prior to booking his starring role in Incoming. His passion for making movies extends beyond working in front of the camera. He immerses himself in all aspects of making films and is especially fascinated with directing and producing.
Check out our interview with Bardia:
You are in a Netflix project called Incoming that’s coming out at the end of this month. What can you tell me about it?
Bardia: Well, it’s basically, in a nutshell, four freshmen who just want to make their mark in high school and they start a party.
Are you one of the four?
Bardia: I’m one of the four boys. Yes.
What can you tell me about your character?
Bardia: My character’s Koosh, and Koosh is a little cocky. He isn’t really liked by the group, but he’s trying to fit in. He’s basically the “McLovin” of the group and he’s trying to fit in but stand out at the same time.
I love that, the McLovin of the group. So is it kind of along those lines? Like, I don’t want to say raunchy, but is it kind of that kind of humor?
Bardia: Yeah, definitely. It’s definitely raunchy. It’s funny and definitely somewhat like Superbad. It’s just a fun time.
Was it just as much of a good time off screen as it was on screen?
Bardia: Definitely, we had the same amount of laughs on screen and off screen. We all got along. We clicked pretty instantly, all of us, and it was a fun time in general.
That’s great. So who are the other three high schoolers that actors that you’re working alongside?
Bardia: Well, one of them is Mason Thames, one is Raphael Alejandro, and the other is Ramon Reed.
Did you get to put any of yourself into this character or is Koosh completely different from you?
Bardia: I wouldn’t say we’re the same but I would definitely say I did put a lot of my life experiences into Koosh. Like for one, Koosh is going into high school as a freshman and I was once a freshman and I could relate to his kind of loneliness and like isolation as he is just trying to fit in. I put a lot of my own life experiences into this role.
What do you think is the most relatable thing about your character?
Bardia: The most relatable thing about my character is definitely his tendency to fit in but also stand out and make his mark. And I feel like a lot of people can relate to that in this film.
What is one thing that you are so excited for people to see?
Bardia: I’d say the lessons of the movie. The movie is supposed to be a comedy, you’re supposed to have the laughs, obviously, but all four characters have very different conflicts, but they all have very different lessons as well. And I feel like the lessons they pick up in this movie really teach them a lot about the coming of age and being a team.
So, it’s a comedy with some heart. I love that.
Bardia: Yeah, most definitely.
If you were to pick three words to describe Incoming, which three would you pick?
Bardia: I’d say unexpected, hilarious, and raunchy.
I like it. Those will definitely get people watching. As we wait for Incoming to drop, are there any other projects you are working on?
Bardia: Currently, I’m putting all my focus into Incoming.
Are you planning on any sort of premiere party or celebration?
Bardia: Yeah, there’s definitely going to be a premiere for this movie to get the hype going and get everyone ready for this film.
Are you on social media? Where can we follow you?
Bardia: You can follow me on Instagram @bardiaseiri.
Is there anything else about incoming that you really want the world to know?
Bardia: Definitely! Every single character in this movie is very, very different, but they all come together to make this movie really good.
