Devi, the star of Netflix's new teen rom-com, Never Have I Ever, is an over-achieving high school sophom*ore with a short fuse that gets herself into more than her share of sticky situations. In the series, which was created and executive produced by Mindy Kaling, Devi is navigating life in the aftermath of her father's death, while obsessing over getting into Princeton, her social standing, and losing her virginity.
But for the actress bringing Devi to live, newcomer Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, her real-life would make for a unique and interesting script in itself. Plucked from an open casting call of more than 15,000 young women — and with no prior paid-acting gigs, not even a headshot — Ramakrishnan's having a pretty big Cinderella moment right now. Still, the 18-year old Canadian actor is taking it all in stride.
"I think when I see my name on Netflix, like actually at home on my TV screen, maybe it will sink in then," Ramakrishnan tells Shondaland. "But honestly, I don't know if it hasn't sunk in yet or I'm just really calm. I feel I've just accepted that maybe I'm just super calm."
Never Have I Ever is loosely based on Kaling's own adolescence, and the Emmy nominated creative even penned the first episode of the series. In spite of the potential pressure that could have weighed on the young actress, Ramakrishnan said Kaling was amazing to work with.
"I just loved working with her," Ramakrishnan says. "The whole process of filming and even after, doing all the press and post production, it's been amazing to be able to work with her and have her as one of my mentors, because there's so much to learn from her."
Ramakrishnan also felt quite comfortable with her "mom," which is how she referred to Kaling on Instagram. "It was pretty chill. I didn't feel ever intimidated or nervous around her," she says. "I noticed sometimes I would make Office references casually in front of her and she would always pick up on them, so that felt nice!"
While Ramakrishnan admits that her first meeting with Kaling was "pretty sick" her favorite part of the surreal casting experience was sharing the news with her best friend, who was the one who told Ramakrishnan about the open call in the first place.
"For me and my best friend, this is something that truly really came out of our friendship together. It was like 'Yo, we really just did that,'" says Ramakrishnan. "That was really a win for just two girls going to the library from Mississauga, Ontario."
Ramakrishnan's praise of her BFF is a breath of fresh air in a world where we often see young women pitted against one another for opportunities. It's also a testament to Ramakrishnan's belief that women and girls should support each other and their wins. "A lot of people think, like, 'Oh, are you and your best friend are still friends? Did she audition too?' I'm like, yeah, she auditioned and she literally couldn't be more proud of me," says Ramakrishnan. "She's still my best friend, and if she got it, I would be exactly the same. It's a win for both of us."
Ramakrishnan's good-natured spirit and cool confidence have definitely aided her rise. Relegated to lockdown, Ramakrishnan also seems to be handling self-quarantine well and with a welcome level of maturity. "I'm super blessed to have my family with me," she says. "Of course, I'd love to see my friends, but it's a matter of staying safe."
While mandated stay-at-home orders could have put a damper on Ramakrishnan's big moment, she's not letting it get her down.
"A lot of people have said, 'I'm really sorry, that you don't get [to go] to your premiere. But in the grand scheme of things, this is so small. People's lives are on the line right now, right?" she says. "I'm staying safe and paying my respects by being respectful to staying quarantined while others are on the front line risking their lives day to day. Hopefully this show will be a nice ray of light for people in quarantine, something they can watch and laugh at."
Ramakrishnan also has a sharp perspective on the role of celebrity during the pandemic. "I find it funny when some celebrities are preaching as if they're on the front line...but they're not," she says with a laugh. "The reality is, it's truly the people that are on the legitimate front line, they are the real heroes risking their lives and the rest of us. Like, I'll speak for the celebrities, we all got to sit down and use our platform to just tell people to be equally as respectful. That's what we should do, you know?"
Ramakrishnan's advice might actually be something her character, Devi might say. Quite the firecracker, it's no surprise Ramakrishnan has a few things in common with her Never Have I Ever alter ego.
"In terms of the sass and confidence, definitely 100 percent," she says with a laugh. "I am definitely like Devi. Both of us have done band and we always try to do everything in high school and also always stay on top of our grades. One thing I love about Devi is that she never dumbs herself down for anybody. Like there's no Mean Girls Cady Heron situation where she fakes being bad at math. She always has to be on top and she knows she's the best. And unapologetic about that which I love."
Coming from Kaling, it was easy to predict Never Have I Ever was going to be good — but the show is so much more. While it's centered on teens, grown folks can relate as well. In preparation for our chat, I thought I'd watch the first few episodes of the show — but despite looming deadlines and helping my two children with virtual learning — I ended up bingeing all 10 episodes in two days. To my surprise, never have I ever related so hard to a show about teens. One episode in particular, "Never Have I Ever...Felt So Indian," resonated deeply on so many levels. Ramakrishnan agreed.
"First of all, Gala Autumn, the costume designer for Never Have I Ever made me the best half-sari I have ever worn! I felt so pretty and awesome. But honestly the whole episode was freakin' fantastic to film because it's such a necessary conversation to have and it's not depicted on film," she says. In the episode, Devi attends a traditional Hindu festival with her family, but doesn't really want to be there because she feels being too Indian isn't cool. "So many people from all cultures, diasporas all over the world can relate to this. You know, that in-between feeling of not knowing where you sit within your culture, right? And I know I really can relate to that. That's the strongest thing I relate to with Devi as a character."
Between tackling issues of identity, teen angst, and grief, Never Have I Ever also talks about sex — something teen girls of color rarely get to talk about on screen.
"In film, we don't ever depict women actually seeking out their sexual adventures. It's usually the guy who is always seeking out the girl. But girls have these questions, too. And so do women of color," says Ramakrishnan. "What I like about [the show] is that it's very age-appropriate because Devi is keen and curious, but she's also sort of scared. And between her and her other two best friends, they're literally trying to figure it out and see what they can learn."
Kaling also addressed the issue of sex at a junket for the series. “Nerds are not only the wallflowers and the quiet ones,” she said. “We’re ambitious, we have obnoxious personalities sometimes, we want to have sex and dream like all the other kids."
The series also addresses mental health. In the show, Devi's therapist, Dr. Ryan, is played by none other than Niecy Nash, who Ramakrishnan called "a legend."
"She's amazing. She is so talented, so freakin' funny and just a nice person," says Ramakrishnan. "It was really fun to do all those scenes with her and I just love the scenes as a whole because that's another thing that we don't talk about as much in the [South Asian] community, like getting mental help and focusing on our mental health."
With its authentic depiction of Indian parents, Devi praying to "the gods," hearing the not-so-joking threats about dating boys, and desperately wanting to be the smartest girl in school while desperately crushing on the hot jock, Never Have I Ever felt very familiar to real life. In the trailer for the series, Devi tells the audience to "buckle up for some steamy teen romance," but thankfully the show is so much more.
Meera Estrada is a Toronto-based writer, beauty expert, and co-host of kultur'D, a radio show about pop culture and diversity. Follow her on Twitter @MeeraEstrada.
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