Last fall, I auditioned for a new Netflix show that was then untitled. My agents told me it was the creative brainchild of Mindy Kaling and that it was based on her life as a teen. That was enough to make me want to get to the casting office ASAP. Of course, I wanted to be a part of that! Mindy is someone I have admired for years. So when the audition went well and I booked the job, I was thrilled.
My first day on set I knew this show was unlike any other. The diversity, both in front of and behind the camera, was unlike anything I had ever seen in more than twenty years in Hollywood. Women of color with leading and rich storylines that informed and entertained. The scripts were funny, the creative collaboration was refreshing. And I loved working closely with Lee Rodriguez, “Fabiola,” who plays my teen daughter. I was in a dream work scenario for the three days I worked (and laughed my ass off) on the show.
Yet, I had no idea that six months later, while the world would be quarantined in a global pandemic, that this show (now tilted Never Have I Ever) would drop on Netflix and become number one in the world in a matter of days. That is a career first for me.
And as I sat down to stream it with my teenage daughter, I knew we were watching something magical. We are laughing and crying. She was seeing characters she could relate to, storylines that intersected with her own experience. As her actress mom, she had feedback for how my character was “so wrong and annoying” but then loved my character when she supported her daughter at a critical moment. We had lots of discussions about the show and by the final episode both satisfied and desperately wanting more.
I am so proud to be part of this show, to contribute to something that is changing the way the world sees itself. But mostly, I am honored to be part of a show that is talking about grief in a way that reflects its many faces/stages/perspectives. If you haven’t checked it, give it a try. I hope you laugh and cry and see part of you in every character.
