Aziz Ansari 'Wooed' Keanu Reeves With Home-Cooked Meal to Get Him to Star in 'Good Fortune'

Aziz Ansari put in extra effort to secure Keanu Reeves for Good Fortune.

During the Friday, October 17, episode of TODAY With Jenna & Friends, the comedian, 42, revealed his unconventional approach to getting the 61-year-old on board.

Ansari joined hosts Jenna Bush Hager and Matt Rogers for a game of "Fact or Fake." One of the prompts read, "When I was trying to woo Keanu into being in the film, I invited him over to my house and cooked him Indian food, and instead of talking about Good Fortune, nerded out about The Matrix and Point Break. Keanu thought I was a ding dong, but I later saved it by taking him to Thai food and talking about Good Fortune."

"I don't think he thought you were a dingbat," Rogers suspected.

Ansari agreed, clarifying that Reeves would "never call anyone a ding dong."

"The other stuff is true, though," the Master of None star revealed. "He did come over to my house, and I cooked him Indian food, and I was like, 'What was it like when you read the script for The Matrix?' You can't help but ask him stuff like that. He's just too much of a legend."

Ansari also recalled going with his aunt and uncle to a drive-in screening of Reeves' 1994 thriller Speed in Albany, N.Y.

"I love Speed. That was one of my favorite cinema-going experiences...." he detailed. "It was amazing and it killed."

Earlier in the interview, the Parks and Recreation alum reflected on what it was like meeting the movie star for the first time.

"He's like a childhood hero. Everybody nerds out on Keanu," he gushed. "He's one of these few guys that still has that mystique. You don't really see him around anymore. He's got that mysteriousness to him. If somebody told you Keanu is five thousand years old, you'd be like, 'Yeah.' He has this wisdom."

Bush Hager asked what it was like finding out that Reeves accepted his invitation to star in Good Fortune.

"It seemed perfect to cast him as an angel. He's so funny, and people haven't seen him in comedies for a while...the reviews he's been getting are so amazing. People are blown away by how funny it is. It's been awesome," Ansari exclaimed.

Good Fortune releases in theaters on Friday, October 17, and also stars Seth Rogen, Keke Palmer, Sandra Oh and Sherry Cola. Ansari directed, produced and acted in the movie.