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Jay Shetty PodcastJay Shetty Podcast

Maitreyi Ramakrishnan ON: Imposter Syndrome & Navigating Self-Doubt In Any Stage of Your Journey

Maitreyi Ramakrishnan chats with Jay Shetty about her acting journey. Breaking through the film industry requires a lot of hard work and a lot of people don’t actually take into consideration the amount of work she has put in to…

Maitreyi RamakrishnanguestJay Shettyhost
Dec 13, 202157mWatch on YouTube

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Transcript

  1. 0:00 – 2:45

    Intro

    1. MR

      It's like self-love. Like, you got the confidence one day of like, "Yeah, I deserve this. I'm very proud of myself." But then the next day it's, "Oh, God. Oh, no. People think I'm a joke." That could be sparked because you see one comment, and I used to do this, I'm gonna be honest, I would scroll through comments until I found a negative one. Scroll through thousands of positive until I found a negative one, and that would be when I would turn off my phone, which is so unhealthy. [upbeat music]

    2. JS

      Hey, everyone. Welcome back to On Purpose, the number one health podcast in the world, thanks to each and every single one of you who come back every week to listen, learn, and grow. Now, you know that I'm always on the lookout to speak to people that I find interesting, fascinating, and often people that we don't know so much about them as a human, as an individual. We see them on the big screen, we watch them at home, we see them on our phones, but we don't know too much about them. And today's guest is someone who I've been watching, binge-watching religiously, uh, on Netflix, on her show, Never Have I Ever. I'm talking about none other than Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, who's an actress known for her leading role as Devi Vishwakumar in the Netflix teen comedy series, Never Have I Ever. In 2019, she was chosen by Mindy Kaling out of 15,000 candidates that applied for an open casting call for the show. She created her audition tape at a local library using her mother's camera, eventually being asked to send four more videos before having a screen test in LA and being offered the role in 2019. Today, she's been named as one of the 18 Groundbreakers, a list of girls who are breaking down barriers and changing the world in 2021, and she was named a breakout actor in Time 100's Most Influential People. She was back for a second season in Never Have I Ever, and it was also announced that she will star in the Netflix romantic comedy, The Netherfield Girls. Welcome to the show, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan. Maitreyi, thank you so much for doing this.

    3. MR

      Thank you for having me.

    4. JS

      Yeah.

    5. MR

      It's such an honor. [laughs]

    6. JS

      [laughs] I've really been looking forward to this, because I remember when season one came out-

    7. MR

      Yeah

    8. JS

      ... and me and my wife literally watched the whole season in one night.

    9. MR

      [laughs]

    10. JS

      And, and we were both just like, "Oh, my gosh, this show is so addictive." And, you know, for us it was interesting watching it because my wife and I, both from South Asian backgrounds, were born and raised in London. And so to see the somewhat South Asian experience portrayed through the show in the United States was a learning curve for us. It was, you know, it was, it was unique for us. It, it wasn't the same at all. I wanted to ask you, show aside,

  2. 2:45 – 7:07

    Breaking through Hollywood with a South Asian heritage

    1. JS

      tell us about what it was like growing up as a South Asian young woman in the United States. In Ca- well, sorry, in Canada for you.

    2. MR

      Canada. Um, for me, it was a little different to Devi because I was, you know, blessed to have people from all sorts of backgrounds, you know, in class with me, which was really awesome because I got to learn about everyone's, you know, backgrounds and cultures and identities and just life stories in general, which exposed me to a lot. But then also, like, really pushed me to figure out, okay, how do you identify as a Tamil Canadian? Like, what does that actually really mean to you? And I'm really thankful for my upbringing, and I have to give a shout-out to my parents. I wouldn't have said this, like, however many years ago, but I realize now very quickly with everything that's happened, I'm only, like, half of what I am or, like, even a quarter of what I am, like, without them, you know what I'm saying? Like, I need them to be who I am, so, yeah. [laughs]

    3. JS

      [laughs] I love that. Tell us about something growing up, like you said, that you would have felt like, "Oh, my parents are weird," or, "I don't really connect with them," or-

    4. MR

      Yeah

    5. JS

      ... "I don't agree with them," and now you're like, "Oh, you were so right." Like, tell me about something that changed.

    6. MR

      I'm actually glad you asked that, 'cause usually, like, I get asked the question, like, "Oh, were your parents, like, supportive of you going into acting?" Which is super valid as a question, as, you know, reality is a lot of South Asian parents aren't, right? It's a very, you know, tricky field to go into, entertainment. But my parents are very supportive. Um, my dad growing up was always like, "Yeah, whatever you need, like, we'll figure it out. We'll get you there. We'll do whatever you got. Do whatever you want, be whoever you want, but just be the best you can be at it." But despite all of that, now looking back I realize how supportive and, like, how much they were there for me. Growing up as, like, a kid, I always felt like the outsider, you know? Like, in my family. Like, sort of like the black sheep because my brother, he's two years older than me. I'm the younger one, so I'm, like, the stereotypical, you know, younger, rebellious sibling. And my brother was the good, studious one and, who loved reading books, while I'd rather just go to, like, an amusement park, you know?

    7. JS

      [laughs]

    8. MR

      I'm not gonna read a book, whatever.

    9. JS

      [laughs]

    10. MR

      So I always felt like I couldn't connect with my family for the longest time, until I realized, like, wait, my home's, like, really cool to talk to.

    11. JS

      [laughs]

    12. MR

      And I, it's like, you know, I don't know if, like, you've experienced this. I'm sure you have, [laughs] and I feel like a lot of kids have. It's that moment where you stop necessarily idolizing your parents, thinking like, "Oh, my God. They're everything and they're amazing. They can do nothing wrong," and then maybe you see them cry once and you're like, "What? That's a little-

    13. JS

      [laughs]

    14. MR

      ... little gross."

    15. JS

      [laughs]

    16. MR

      Or, like, they do something and you're like, "Oh, I actually, like, disagree with you on that." And I think when those moments started happening, I started humanizing them and I'm like, "Yeah."

    17. JS

      Yeah. I think that's-

    18. MR

      That's my little tangent. [laughs]

    19. JS

      Yeah, no, I love that. That's a great answer. I, I really appreciate you opening up and letting us in because, you know, I, I love the character you play on the show, but on, on this show, on On Purpose, my whole focus is on you as a human and an individual. So I'm excited-

    20. MR

      Mm-hmm

    21. JS

      ... to get to know, you know, Maitreyi. Like, that's the person that I'm really interested in and, and fascinated by and, and your journey, so thank you for being so open already and, and sharing stories. And, and now, now that we all know that your brother's this super intelligent, uh, book reader, book-

    22. MR

      Oh, my God, he's such a nerd.

    23. JS

      [laughs]

    24. MR

      He's also, like- Like, he's the book smart one, but I'm the street smart one, and he knows it

    25. JS

      Got it. Got it. Well, it's funny 'cause I have a younger sister. What's your age different? Two years, you said.

    26. MR

      Two years. Two years, yeah.

    27. JS

      So my younger sister's four years younger than me-

    28. MR

      Okay. Yeah

    29. JS

      ... and it's the other way around. I'm the rebel. I'm the kid who got into trouble.

    30. MR

      Oh, yeah.

  3. 7:07 – 10:00

    Raised to speak up your mind

    1. JS

      I, I wanted to talk about, you know, what were you like growing up as a child? Have you, have you always been outgoing and you said rebellious. I want to hear a bit about that rebellious side. Like, what, what was your rebellion leading you to?

    2. MR

      Yeah, I mean, I've always been, like, an extroverted, you know, person. I always would talk to everyone. Um, growing up, my mom's rule was if she didn't know their parents, I wasn't going over to their house.

    3. JS

      [laughs]

    4. MR

      Not happening. So quickly, my GameCube, my Nintendo GameCube became my best friend, and so I'm, like, pretty good at all those video games.

    5. JS

      [laughs]

    6. MR

      But, uh, so I also picked up a bunch of different, like, hobbies, like drawing and painting and singing and playing piano and, you know, just doing these things by myself, and which I'm, you know, one of those things I'm very thankful for 'cause I have all those skills now. But in terms of, like, the rebellious side, that's actually from my parents, too, in the sense it's, like, the sense of justice. My parents have always raised me to speak about what I believe in. If I see an injustice, speak up for it. If I see someone, you know, in trouble or, like, getting bullied or just picked on wrongfully, doesn't matter if you don't know them, go stand up for them. Like, speak your mind. And, like, uh, I, you know, like, the whole term of, like, code switching that many, you know, people of color do, I never did that, and that's truly because my mom especially raised me to believe you don't have to.

    7. JS

      Mm-hmm.

    8. MR

      You just do you. Be who you are. Don't be a brat-

    9. JS

      [laughs]

    10. MR

      ... but be who you are. You don't need to hide yourself or not speak your mind in a family party or in this professional setting. If you see something wrong, you speak up. My mom literally raised me as a kid and said, "If someone ever punches you, you have one punch back. Make it count."

    11. JS

      [laughs]

    12. MR

      That's what my mom would say to me. So-

    13. JS

      Did you ever exercise that advice? Did you ever use that advice? [laughs]

    14. MR

      No, I don't think I ever, like, did.

    15. JS

      Yeah.

    16. MR

      Unless it was probably with a fight against my brother or something, or maybe, like, with my cousins.

    17. JS

      [laughs]

    18. MR

      But definitely that energy was very much so there, where my friends knew, like, okay, Maitreyi, like, stands up for what she believes in. I was very well acquainted in high school with the principal's office, not for, like, bad things. The principal and I got along very well, actually. But if I saw something go down with, like, a teacher and a student, like, I'm there, and I'm like, "This is what's happening. You need to figure this out. This is wrong."

    19. JS

      [laughs]

    20. MR

      You know? Yeah.

    21. JS

      I love that. I love that. Yeah, we need, we need more people who speak up and stand up and, and don't just let things happen by the sides. I'm intrigued. You said there that you developed a lot of skills because your parents were like, "If I don't know their parents, you're not allowed to go out."

    22. MR

      Yeah.

    23. JS

      I, I wonder, did you get quite comfortable... Even though you're an extrovert, I'm interested.

    24. MR

      Mm-hmm.

    25. JS

      Did

  4. 10:00 – 14:51

    “I didn’t like myself.”

    1. JS

      you get comfortable spending time alone?

    2. MR

      [laughs]

    3. JS

      And do you think that has stayed the same, or are you kind of like, "No, no, no, I, I don't like being alone"? [laughs]

    4. MR

      Oh, okay. So that, that's a... Thank you for asking that, too, 'cause this is something I've always wanted to talk about as well.

    5. JS

      Yeah.

    6. MR

      Like, I, up until probably my last year of high school, hated being alone.

    7. JS

      Wow.

    8. MR

      Like, I hated it. I had... Sitting with my own thoughts. I hated just sitting with myself, having to talk to myself, have to entertain myself-

    9. JS

      [laughs]

    10. MR

      ... 'cause I didn't like myself for the longest time. I would rather be anyone else, you know? And throughout, like, you know, school, I would always surround myself with, like, a bunch of different people just to, like, you know, hang out with. And the more people I had meant the more opportunities to go out, the more stories and, like, conversations I could have that weren't with myself. Until, you know, in grade 12, I was forced to have those conversations with myself and realize, oh, I really don't like being alone. This is not fun. The whole reason I did after-school theater was because I wanted something to do after school that would keep me at school and not send me home.

    11. JS

      Wow.

    12. MR

      That was the reason I started it. And then I'm obviously so thankful, but that's how I got into acting.

    13. JS

      Wow, that's amazing. I love hearing that. That's, that's, that's awesome that you were able to find something through actually being like, "Oh, I'm just using this as an escapism," but-

    14. MR

      Yeah

    15. JS

      ... it actually became your life, which is-

    16. MR

      It caught up to me. It caught up to me.

    17. JS

      Yeah.

    18. MR

      I had to learn how to, like, sit in my own silence, which now I'm better at. I'm not perfect at it-

    19. JS

      Of course

    20. MR

      ... and I don't think anyone really is. It's a growing journey because you're changing yourself. But I'm less harsh on myself as an individual in that way.

    21. JS

      Yeah. [laughs]

    22. MR

      Still, in general, very hard on myself, but-

    23. JS

      Yeah

    24. MR

      ... yeah.

    25. JS

      Yeah, I wanted to know, you said that earlier, you were like, you know, up until, uh, you finished high school, you were like, "Oh, I, I really-"

    26. MR

      Yeah

    27. JS

      ... "didn't enjoy being by myself." You're like, "I didn't like myself." Tell us a bit about that because I think that's a very common experience, but it's not commonly talked about because-

    28. MR

      Yeah

    29. JS

      ... we don't hear people say that. Like, for you to have the courage to just say right now, like, "I didn't like myself," like, and, and now that you're, that's transitioning, and I loved how you said it's not perfect. It's not like-

    30. MR

      Mm-hmm

  5. 14:51 – 16:53

    Generational talk divides us

    1. JS

      Do you ever feel like that when you're looking at, Devi's your little sister, you're now 19, you're working with an-

    2. MR

      Yeah

    3. JS

      ... do you ever feel that way? Does that make sense?

    4. MR

      For me, like, it's so interesting whenever people, like, whenever people talk about, like, Gen Z versus Gen X versus Millennials versus Boomers, and sometimes, like, I just have to, like, close my ears about it and just, like, just say shut up.

    5. JS

      [laughs]

    6. MR

      Because at the end of the day, it's just the year you were born and how the world was when it, when you were born, when you were a kid, when you were at your coming of age Netflix YA moment.

    7. JS

      [laughs]

    8. MR

      And that is totally valid and fair. It's a 100% a different experience. Like, my parents don't get what it means to grow up with technology in your school, right? But they went through things that we wouldn't get. But there's a lot that we can all universally understand, like this idea of loving yourself, like this idea of self-confidence. Just in general, mental health, that is really universal, and it sucks because now what I'm finding is that, like, the generation conversation is starting to divide people-

    9. JS

      Mm

    10. MR

      ... of like, "Ugh, that's such a Millennial mentality," or like, "Ugh, these, like, Gen Z-ers think they have it all together. They think they're, like, the bee's knees." And it's like, no, you know what? Like, to my fellow Gen Z, we're not the bee's knees. We're not better. We're just humans, and we all are at the end of the day, so why can't we just all be better despite what year we were born in? Go wear your neon '80s outfit.

    11. JS

      [laughs]

    12. MR

      Go wear your '50s hoop skirts. Like, I don't care. Just be nice and just talk about these things, 'cause there's not that many differences. My grandma learned so much from me. I learned so much from her. Like, we ta- she's like my best friend, and I talk to her all the time. She learns so much from me, and I learn a lot from her, and that's, like, what matters, you know?

    13. JS

      Well said. I, I love that. That's, that's such a great, great way of putting it and great way of sharing it. Tell me, tell me about some of the things. I, I love hearing about this because my wife's also extremely close to her grandmother, like re-

    14. MR

      Yeah

    15. JS

      ... exactly how you just said. They're like best friends.

  6. 16:53 – 18:54

    Having a grandma as your best friend

    1. JS

      I wanted to know, what, what are some of the things you've shared with each other or learned from each other, some of the things you've taught her, some of the things she's taught you? I'd love to hear about some of that.

    2. MR

      Yeah. I mean, so like I said, like before, when I was younger in my house, I felt like there was no one I could really talk to, 'cause I knew if I was gonna talk to my brother and tell him a secret, that was gonna go right back down to Amma. Amma was gonna find out. I'm gonna be in trouble-

    3. JS

      [laughs]

    4. MR

      ... and I'm gonna get real mad. But my grandma, she's goated.

    5. JS

      [laughs]

    6. MR

      She was, like, my best friend, would always, like, hang out with me. And now it's like, she's, like, she's got Twitter, right?

    7. JS

      [laughs]

    8. MR

      She'll see something on Twitter, and she'll, like, I mean, she mainly just follows me, but, like, you know, she'll see something or, like, something that someone replies, and, like, it's, it'll be a slang term or, like, whatever kind of term. Maybe it's something about, like, the LGBTQI community. And she'll say, like, "What is this?" So I'm like, "Yeah, Amma, I'll teach you." And then she, like, knows about it, and she's like, "Okay, cool." Like, things like that. And then I get to learn, of course, about how she grew up, of course, but then also just where she's coming from as someone who takes care of my grandfather and someone who has her own challenges. And I'm like, huh, we're not so different. Like, we're really not. But-

    9. JS

      Yeah

    10. MR

      ... yeah.

    11. JS

      I love that. It's, it's great. Uh, you know, those conversations take time and patience, because I'm sure that when she's asking you a question, you're having to then see it from her perspective and-

    12. MR

      Yeah

    13. JS

      ... you know, think about it. It's not just like, you know, because th- like you said, she's come from a different time. She's had different experiences. It's amazing that you've developed that. Where do you think you developed that- That ability to be patient, to be empathetic, the way you're talking, like when I'm hearing you, uh, you know, there's so much maturity in the way you're sharing how you are navigating this, which is beautiful to see. I'm not surprised at all. You know, it's, it's awesome. But I wonder where do you think that came from? Was there an experience that happened in your life, or was it through your parents who you're giving so much love and credit to?

    14. MR

      Yeah.

    15. JS

      Where did that come from, or where has that

  7. 18:54 – 22:30

    When you have family and friends that listen

    1. JS

      developed from is the question.

    2. MR

      I mean, I'm still a 19-year-old, like, loser. [laughs] Like, I'm still-

    3. JS

      19-year-old video game... You're not a loser, but you're a 19-year-old video game player, yes.

    4. MR

      Yeah.

    5. JS

      Yeah.

    6. MR

      Still, that, that's pretty cool. That's my biggest flex. But, like, I'm still just 19, and like, you know, whatever, but I think the idea of, like, maybe listening to people, I'm not gonna lie and say like, "Oh, yeah, I listen to everyone and give them like everyone my full heart." There's times where it's like, "Hey, yeah, steering clear from you," you know?

    7. JS

      Yeah.

    8. MR

      But when it comes to, like, sitting down with the people I care about to hear them out, answer all their questions, hear where they're coming from, their perspective, I guess it's just me thinking like, "Hey, when the tables turn, please hear me out."

    9. JS

      Mm.

    10. MR

      'Cause there's been times, like, I've gone through moments in, like, school when I was growing up where I wasn't heard out, you know? And it's like, damn, that really sucks. And now with the industry, like being thrown into this industry, having no friends, family who are in this industry at all, whether they're an actor, writer, director, producer, like no one has done this in my family or in my circle, and it's such a unique experience that, like, I have... When I talk to them about it, when I have like, you know, my own issues about it and I'm, you know, ranting about something, I want them to listen to me, you know? I want them to, like, try their best to put themselves in my shoes, try their, their best to empathize and understand because that's all they can do. They, they're never gonna know what it's like exactly, but they can empathize. And, like, a little bit of a tangent here, but when it comes to acting, um, I always get asked like, "What's your method?" I don't have a method. I, I genuinely don't have a method. Like, I've never done an acting class in my life. But my process is that here's a character. You're gonna play this character. In, or in order to play this character, you have to believe in every single one of their decisions. You're basically their lawyer, and you're gonna have to defend them. So when Devi's doing crazy, crazy things, and she's making terrible choices at times, I have to empathize and understand, okay, kid, why are we making this choice? Like, we're gonna do it, but why? Where are you coming from? So it's empathy on another level of like, okay, 'cause now I'm gonna have to live this. Now I'm gonna have to make it believable 'cause it's one thing to pick Paxton over Eleanor and Fabiola-

    11. JS

      [laughs]

    12. MR

      ... but there's another thing to pick Paxton believably and make the audience still actually believe that Devi feels she's making a right choice and have the audience understand that, yeah, this kid genuinely thinks this is the right choice. It's a bad choice, but we're gonna all empathize with her together, you know?

    13. JS

      I think what you're saying there about knowing why the character would do something-

    14. MR

      Mm

    15. JS

      ... and, and applying that in real life, like if we, instead of if, you've just said something beautiful there. Instead of looking at what people do around us-

    16. MR

      Mm

    17. JS

      ... if we listen to understand why they're doing it, then that's gonna help us a lot more because-

    18. MR

      Yeah

    19. JS

      ... what people do doesn't always equate with why we think they're doing it. And-

    20. MR

      Yeah

    21. JS

      ... and, and even as an actor, as you're saying right now, like understanding why your character wants to do something is what makes it believable.

    22. MR

      Yeah.

    23. JS

      Uh, and, and it's spot on. Like, you know, that, that's exactly what makes a difference. I, I want to ask you a bit more about that when you talked about acting there. Obviously, it started as this escape, and so you didn't have to go home and so that you could-

    24. MR

      Mm

    25. JS

      ... you could be there at after school.

    26. MR

      Yeah.

    27. JS

      Did you, did you have a... And you said no one in your family's ever done this

  8. 22:30 – 25:44

    The strong passion for acting

    1. JS

      before. Did you have a plan B from acting, or was acting, you were like, "I'm all in. I'm gonna make this happen. This is gonna be my thing"?

    2. MR

      So when I was 10, I decided I wanted to be, like, a Disney animator for Pixar. That was the dream. That was the dream for the longest time up until my last year in high school, and then I realized-

    3. JS

      [laughs]

    4. MR

      ... drawing on other people's time made me miserable.

    5. JS

      [laughs]

    6. MR

      Like, I could not do it. And I was like, "Oh my God, like what am I gonna do now?" I felt, like, such a disappointment with myself because I ran around school saying like, "Yeah, I'm gonna be a Pixar animator. I'm gonna..." Like, everyone knew, oh, Maitreyi's dream job is to be an animator, and then I, like, didn't do it because I was like, I can't. I can't. I'm gonna be miserable.

    7. JS

      Yeah.

    8. MR

      I still, like, went through with my portfolio 'cause I'm stubborn, but I was not happy. And then suddenly I was like, oh my God, what am I doing with my life? I basically just let down 10-year-old me-

    9. JS

      [laughs]

    10. MR

      ... that went to Disney World and got all the inspiration that a 10-year-old could ask for.

    11. JS

      Yeah.

    12. MR

      But while I was applying to universities, my mom, she was the one that said, "Hey, like, Maitreyi, like, why don't you toss in, like, a application for theater? Put her in there. Put her in the mix."

    13. JS

      [laughs]

    14. MR

      And I was like, "Yeah, all right. Like, fine, it's extra work, but maybe I'll regret it if I don't. Could be fun, whatever." My mom recognized my passion for theater before I did.

    15. JS

      Wow.

    16. MR

      In high school it was truly just a fun thing, and it was a fun thing that I also went into for, like, writing my own plays and directing my own plays and being in a musical, multiple musicals, multiple plays. But I was like, yeah, it's just fun times. Like, I'm not gonna be a big actor. But then eventually after I realized, you know... It was one of the first times in my life I was ever proud of myself. I finished my grade 12 drama exam, and I was really proud of myself. And I was like, you know what? I do have skill.

    17. JS

      [laughs]

    18. MR

      Like, I am not a failure.

    19. JS

      [laughs]

    20. MR

      And that's great.

    21. JS

      [laughs]

    22. MR

      So I accepted theater, and that was the plan, but the plan wasn't to become a big actor by- ... go work at Netflix. The plan was, we'll see what happens. Maybe community theater is cool, which is awesome, or just in Toronto, like the local theater scene there, that would be great. That would be the ideal.

    23. JS

      That's beautiful. I love hearing how real that is. That's, that's awesome to hear and, and also to recognize just how beautiful that would have been if that, if that's what was meant for you and you were-

    24. MR

      Right

    25. JS

      ... you know, you were prepared for that. I think so many, so many times we hear now it's almost like, "Well, if I can't do that, then I don't want to do it," right? It's like-

    26. MR

      Yeah

    27. JS

      ... "Well, if I can't do that epitome peak moment-

    28. MR

      Mm-hmm

    29. JS

      ... then I don't want to do it at all because it's not good enough." And it's almost like I love hearing from you, you're at the opposite where it's like, "Hey, if this is all it is, then that's, I would-"

    30. MR

      That's fine.

  9. 25:44 – 29:48

    The day she filmed the audition tape

    1. JS

      How did you pluck up the courage to send that first audition tape in? Because I feel the reason why I'm honing in on that moment is, I think, doing something like, like that for the first time with your mom's camera without any-

    2. MR

      Yeah

    3. JS

      ... like prep or plan, it's not like you had your acting coach in the room and, you know-

    4. MR

      No

    5. JS

      ... like I think that all of us struggle with firsts and all of us-

    6. MR

      Yeah

    7. JS

      ... struggle with starting. Like I'm sure you speak to tons of people who say to you like, "Oh, Maitreyi, I'm not sure. I'm not good enough. I'm not-"

    8. MR

      Yeah

    9. JS

      ... "this enough. I'm not smart enough. I'm not beautiful enough." How did you pluck up the courage? What, tell me that process. Like, take us into your mind on that day.

    10. MR

      So let me start off by saying I was depressed. [laughs] Um, I was very depressed in my last year of high school, which took a long while for me to come to terms with. Like, I didn't think I was. I was, definitely.

    11. JS

      Mm.

    12. MR

      Um, and I almost took a nap that day instead. My best friend texted me and they said, "Hey, I saw this tweet from Mindy Kaling. Like, let's do this." I didn't even know how to use Twitter.

    13. JS

      [laughs]

    14. MR

      Like, I didn't understand the differences between a retweet and a like. They're basically the same thing. And basically, um, you know, my best friend Shahara texted me, and I almost said no. I almost said, "Hey, man, I'm really tired. I think I'm just gonna take a nap." And then something in me just said, "You know what? I haven't ha- like, I haven't hung out with my best friend in a long bit. I'll just, I'll go hang out with Shahara. Shahara's the best." So I said, "Okay, cool. We'll figure out a time and we'll go to the community center because my house is way too loud. There's no way we're gonna film a video that's, like, even decent in here." So we went to the community center. We figured out after an hour how to work my mom's camera, 'cause it kept shutting off. It was so annoying.

    15. JS

      [laughs]

    16. MR

      And then we Googled up what a slate is. I didn't know what that was. But then we were flying. We were making our tapes, and the logic was, to me, honestly, was, okay, we're gonna send it through this portal. Like, it's not even going out in public on, like, the internet or whatever, but, like, we're sending r- this through this portal. They might not ever even look at it. G- generally, I was like, there's a good chance, like, they never check it out. There'd probably be, like, people all around the world auditioning for this. I have no experience. I made my acting resume on Canva.

    17. JS

      [laughs]

    18. MR

      Like, the free, like, here-

    19. JS

      Yeah

    20. MR

      ... Canva plus, I guess. I made my acting resume on Canva. My headshot was a photo that my best friend took, like, outside of my high school wall, and my eyes are squinty 'cause of the sun.

    21. JS

      [laughs]

    22. MR

      It's so messed up. So I didn't think people would look at it. And with all that in mind, the fact that people all around the world are auditioning for this, I was like, "Okay, I'm probably not gonna get this. I have literally no job experience at all. I can't even say I've, like, you know, done retail."

    23. JS

      [laughs]

    24. MR

      "So who cares? I'm gonna just do the best possible job I can because why not?" And it's funny, I have the text from that day with my best friend where we literally say, "Hey, man, like, that was really fun. Thanks for hanging out with me." And they were like, "You know what? We can say we were a part of something bigger. When this show takes off, we can s- technically say we contributed to it."

    25. JS

      [laughs]

    26. MR

      And then I said, "Yeah, you know what? Maybe we'll get royalties for that," like, as a joke. And then I said, "But it would be pretty sweet if we went to Hollywood, right?"

    27. JS

      [laughs]

    28. MR

      And then we were like, [laughs] "Ha ha. Who knows? One day, man. Maybe one day." And then that was it.

    29. JS

      That's amazing. I love that story. Thank you for sharing that with us. I know you've shared it before, but I, I love-

    30. MR

      I love it

  10. 29:48 – 30:43

    Always give it your best shot

    1. MR

      I wasn't gonna put out something, like, I didn't believe in-

    2. JS

      Sure

    3. MR

      ... 'cause then in my mind I'd be like, "Uh, I didn't give it my best shot." I'm not an athletic person-

    4. JS

      [laughs]

    5. MR

      ... but if I'm gonna play a basketball game with someone, you best know I'm gonna try my best.

    6. JS

      Yeah.

    7. MR

      Will there be a lot of sweating? Very much so.

    8. JS

      [laughs]

    9. MR

      Probably a lot of falling, knees being skid, maybe a bit of blood, but I will try.

    10. JS

      [laughs]

    11. MR

      You know?

    12. JS

      Yeah, absolutely.

    13. MR

      So yeah. And my mom says, like, I'm now just living my life purpose and she can see it. She saw it, honestly, in high school when I was doing all my performances, 'cause she came to every single one. She saw the joy that it gave me, and I'd have to agree. I feel like acting, being in this creative industry of film and TV, it is my life purpose.

    14. JS

      Yeah. I love that energy. That's awesome. And it, and it, it shines off of your face. Like, even though we're not even sitting in front of each other right now, I can- I can totally see it. It's, it's so real-

    15. MR

      [laughs]

    16. JS

      ... and your passion's so true, and it's, it's so authentic. I love it.

  11. 30:43 – 34:25

    The first day and the first scene shoot

    1. JS

      Uh, tell me about, tell me about how that translated to then being on your first day on set, because that's-

    2. MR

      [laughs]

    3. JS

      ... a whole nother like, that's a whole different ballgame now, because it's like you've gone-

    4. MR

      Oh, my God

    5. JS

      ... from being with your best friend to making a video to now being on set. Where, where was the first set? Where was it shot, and tell me about that experience from your perspective, not Devi's perspective, but yours.

    6. MR

      Yeah. We always shoot on the Universal lot in LA.

    7. JS

      Awesome.

    8. MR

      So season two actually entirely was shot on lot. We did no locations anywhere else 'cause of COVID, so we got very crafty with our [laughs] you know, spots and different sets. But the first day, um, I remember the scene exactly. It was the scene where Devi is telling Fabiola and Eleanor that she has chosen attainable yet status-enhancing boyfriends for each of us to date.

    9. JS

      [laughs]

    10. MR

      And, um, that was the first scene we ever shot of the entire show. Uh, and I remember being so excited that we did one take, and Lang Fisher says, "Okay, so you just, you gotta slow down a little. You just, you gotta slow it down a little." And she's like, "Maybe you're a little nervous." And I was like, "Honestly, I'm not nervous at all. I'm just really excited to be here."

    11. JS

      [laughs]

    12. MR

      I was introducing myself to everyone saying like, "Hi, I'm Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, like, what's your name?" Trying to like get to know everyone. And I was, my mentality was, the two first things I learned, like really quick, was number one, trust everyone to do their job, and then you stick and focus on yours.

    13. JS

      Mm-hmm.

    14. MR

      When you trust and then respect everyone for their job, you'll be swimming, because then they will respect you to do yours, and they'll be your biggest champions. Don't worry about what the sound guy's doing. Don't get in the business of the lighting guy. Let them do their thing, 'cause they're respectfully the craft, the masters of their own craft. So when you respect them and you take interest in a genuine, authentic way of actually caring about what they do, they'll recognize that, and then they're gonna light you and mic you up and d- get the best angle of you that they possibly can, because now they're on your team, right? And then the second thing that I like, you know, kept in mind at all times was stay alert and learn everything you possibly can. Not many get this opportunity. You have the best co-op in the world. Learn everything. Don't be afraid to ask questions. And now this is credit to Mindy Kaling and Lang Fisher, because they make such a great atmosphere where I never felt stupid. I was the only, like cast member, number one, the youngest cast member, but also the one that has never in their life been on a set. And despite that, I never felt stupid for it. Were there times where I was like, "Oh God, I have to cry now. I've never cried on command before, and Sendhil is here, and he's on like The Flash or something, and I have to cry, and this is a lot"? Yeah, that happened, but I never felt dumb, and I never felt dumb for asking questions. I never felt dumb for asking for help. And yeah, that's how we got through the days.

    15. JS

      That's beautiful. I, I... That's, it's so hard, isn't it? Because that impostor syndrome's so real and-

    16. MR

      Yeah

    17. JS

      ... and you can often just feel completely out of your depth. But those lessons, actually, I was gonna ask you how would you deal with impostor syndrome if you felt it, but those two piece of advice you gave us-

    18. MR

      Mm

    19. JS

      ... uh, two lessons that you take away actually make a lot of sense.

    20. MR

      Yeah.

    21. JS

      Uh, and, and actually come as great pieces of insight for anyone who's struggling with impostor syndrome, because... And, and I'm guessing that's not changed. I mean, now you're on, you know, front covers of magazines, like you're invited to all these beautiful events, as you should be, rightly. Have-

    22. MR

      Yeah.

    23. JS

      I love that you're bringing your excitement everywhere.

  12. 34:25 – 37:38

    Dealing with impostor syndrome

    1. JS

      Has impostor syndrome ever crept in, or have you been really-

    2. MR

      All the time.

    3. JS

      Like yeah, tell us about that process.

    4. MR

      100%, it creeps in like every so often. Sometimes like, it's like self-love. Like, you got the confidence one day of like, "Yeah, I deserve this. I'm very proud of myself. Amazing." But then the next day it's, "Oh, God. Oh, no. I messed up. I'm terrible. Like, people think I'm a joke." And it could, that could be sparked because you see one comment, and I used to do this, I'm gonna be honest, I would scroll through comments until I found a negative one.

    5. JS

      Mm.

    6. MR

      Scroll through thousands of positive until I found a negative one, and that would be when I would turn off my phone, which is so unhealthy.

    7. JS

      Yeah.

    8. MR

      But maybe impostor syndrome is sparked because you heard someone say, "Oh, I wish she like would enunciate more, like she speaks weird." And I'm like, "You know what? Maybe, maybe you're right. Maybe I should just, I should get a dialect coach for my own voice and my own, you know, sound. Maybe I should do that." But you realize that a lot of people go through it, a lot of people go through impostor syndrome, and then you're like, "Huh. I mean, we can't all be imposters, right? [laughs] Like that doesn't make sense."

    9. JS

      [laughs]

    10. MR

      Some of us have to be genuine, and some of the most genuine people I know go through that.

    11. JS

      Yeah.

    12. MR

      But I remind myself that I have worked hard, and w- what used to piss me off in season one was when people would say, "Oh my God, you're so lucky that you got picked. You're so lucky."

    13. JS

      Yeah.

    14. MR

      And I'm like, yeah, 100%, a good bit of fame is a lot, a lot about being at the right place at the right time, for sure. But I also worked really hard. Luck, sure, was getting my audition tape sent in at the right ta- day, at the right time, and somehow that got, landed on their screens. And you know, I did all that. But I did work really hard during the audition process. But you know what? Even if you want to call the whole audition luck, you can't call the season luck. Netflix comes out with so many shows a day, but we're one of the biggest shows. That's hard work.

    15. JS

      Yeah.

    16. MR

      You know?

    17. JS

      Yeah.

    18. MR

      And when I remind myself of that, I'm like, you know what? I'm not that big of an impostor.

    19. JS

      [laughs]

    20. MR

      I think I can relax today. [laughs]

    21. JS

      Yeah. I, I don't, I don't think so at all. I think, so first of all, when I first watched the season-

    22. MR

      Mm

    23. JS

      ... I would never have been able to tell whether you'd acted before or not. Like it, hon-

    24. MR

      [laughs]

    25. JS

      I would never have been able to tell Like no one, no one, I couldn't say to- I couldn't have watched that and been like, "Oh, she doesn't look like a real..." Like, like you would never have said that.

    26. MR

      Yeah.

    27. JS

      You were, you're great from episode one. Like, you always appear completely comfortable, and I believe you. As in, I have to really talk... I had to prepare today-

    28. MR

      Yeah

    29. JS

      ... by going, "I am not interviewing Devi, I'm interviewing Maitreyi." Like, I had to literally-

    30. MR

      Yeah

  13. 37:38 – 41:05

    Everything happened in different ways for people

    1. JS

      Because when you see someone else's success as luck, you then think you're unlucky.

    2. MR

      Yeah.

    3. JS

      And, and then it stops you from working hard, when actually when you see someone's success as hard work, you go, "Okay, I know what I need to do now," and it sets-

    4. MR

      Yeah

    5. JS

      ... you up. Does that make sense?

    6. MR

      Yeah, 100%. Like get inspired by it. Don't let it defeat your own goals-

    7. JS

      Yeah

    8. MR

      ... your own worth, your own journey in life, right? I, I feel like whenever people ask me like, "How do I get into acting? Like, how do I do this?" In my head, my response is always, "I mean, be on the lookout for the next tweet, I guess."

    9. JS

      Yeah.

    10. MR

      Like that's how I did it.

    11. JS

      Yeah.

    12. MR

      But reality is everything happened in different ways for people, especially in the creative industries like music, acting, whatever. It is so unique for everyone. So you can't get yourself discouraged when you see someone else succeed at this age, you know? You can't compare yourself. You should appreciate and respect them for their hard work that they did, and then be, maybe be, even be inspired by it, you know?

    13. JS

      Yeah. Yeah.

    14. MR

      But don't let it take down your own self-worth. But I was gonna say, I hope talking to me, I don't seem like Devi. [laughs]

    15. JS

      No, not at all.

    16. MR

      I never-

    17. JS

      Not at all.

    18. MR

      Whenever... It was really funny, um, when season one came out, um, it was very funny 'cause some people would look at my success, like you said, as luck, and then they would take it as themselves as they're unlucky, and then that could turn to the other way and then become jealousy, and that was rough.

    19. JS

      Mm.

    20. MR

      But then people just, you know, would either come out of the woodwork to be like, "Oh my God, Maitreyi, I'm so proud of you." I'm like, "We have not talked in ages."

    21. JS

      [laughs]

    22. MR

      What? But then some people would just start being passive aggressive, like, "Oh, you're too big time for us" or just say some jokes that would just be like, "Hey dude, I'm not like a changed person, I'm still me." Literally the show c- even came out in quarantine. I've been stuck in the same house that you guys come over for like my birthday parties, man.

    23. JS

      Yeah.

    24. MR

      Like what? But yeah, the best way I know of finding out like who actually know me is when they say like, "Oh my God, I watched season one," and I was asking myself, "Were you even acting? You're so much like the character." And I'm like, "Okay, thank you."

    25. JS

      [laughs]

    26. MR

      So-

    27. JS

      Yeah

    28. MR

      ... there, there's that. [laughs]

    29. JS

      Yeah, yeah. That's not what I was saying.

    30. MR

      Yeah.

  14. 41:05 – 43:42

    “Respect existence, expect resistance.”

    1. JS

      to react. You had in your Instagram bio, "Respect existence or expect resistance." I wanted to understand what inspired that statement and what you connect it to deeply in your life.

    2. MR

      Yeah. Um, I think I saw that like statement somewhere on the internet-

    3. JS

      Yeah

    4. MR

      ... back when I was in high school somewhere, and I thought, "Oh my God, wordplay-

    5. JS

      [laughs]

    6. MR

      ... that is so smart." That was my first thing. But then I was like, "Yeah, you know what? That's really awesome." And for my grade 12, um, art exam, we had to make a mural. And like if you scroll back far enough on my Instagram feed now, there's a picture of it. It's this gigantic mural I painted, uh, by myself of this brown girl and, you know, she's got these like rainbow hearts all around her, gold background, and at the top it says, "Respect existence or expect resistance." And the whole idea was like, you know, here's this brown girl, the rainbow hearts, you know, symbolizing like the LGBTQI community and just the idea of respect people, you know? And it's this woman, you know? And I just like it as my Instagram bio because it's, it makes so much sense to me, you know? Respect people's existence, and if you don't, get ready for people to be upset and ex- get ready for that backlash because you need to respect other people for who they are. You need to respect the fact that when I say there isn't enough South Asian representation in film, get ready and respect it because if you're gonna resist it, you're gonna be behind the curve. And suddenly if you're a writer that isn't willing to add true diversity, not token diversity to your scripts, no one's gonna wanna work with you 'cause the world's changing and- Honestly, it's get in with the ride of, get in the car of respecting people for who they are, treating people with respect, so like the golden rule, or just get out.

    7. JS

      Yeah.

    8. MR

      I don't have time for people with that ad- that attitude.

    9. JS

      Yeah. Well said. The, I love the distinction between true and token diversity. I think that's such an important... That's so huge because we hear statements that are token diversity statements all the time.

    10. MR

      All the time.

    11. JS

      Like, I was literally just talking to someone last week, and they were told by an agency that they wouldn't be signing them because they already have someone who's a Brown person in that niche that they're in.

    12. MR

      Oh.

    13. JS

      And they were like, "We already have one of you." And [laughs] I was just like... I, and I literally, that conversation happened last week. And, and they were asking me what I thought about that and how to navigate it.

  15. 43:42 – 50:02

    Not enough representation of true diversity

    1. MR

      Yeah.

    2. JS

      And I wanted to ask you, how has your view on that, on diversity changed, having been someone obviously developing their career to now being on the other side-

    3. MR

      Mm

    4. JS

      ... where you have a successful show, you're in the industry, people know you, you know people. Has getting closer to the industry made you feel more excited about what's happening, or are you actually seeing more and you're like, "Okay, wow," like, you know, "This team, Mindy and this team's got it right, but actually there's a lot of work that needs to be done"? I wanna know how your view's changed from before and after.

    5. MR

      Definitely the latter. Like, I actually realized how used to and just, you know, conditioned I became to not seeing people like myself, South Asian women, on screen until after Never Have I Ever Season 1 came out. Up until that point, I was just okay, I guess, with the fact that people like me were background characters, quirky best friends that were sexually deprived, 'cause that's a lovely stereotype, or that they're just comedic relief. They're shy. They're awkward. They can't talk to women unless they're drunk, you know? You get used to that. And then the show came out, I met people in the n- in the industry, and it made me, yeah, hopeful that things are changing, but honestly, I had this, like, anger in me of like, "This sucks." If I didn't make it into the industry, I would've maybe just been okay with it all this time.

    6. JS

      Yeah.

    7. MR

      Like, this is not okay, and we run around saying, like, "Diversity," like, "Diversity, diversity." We say it so much, but we have to. It's like, what el- what other choice do we have? Like, it's become this fluff word, but it's such a mandatory fluff word, you know? Like, it is very important because it's not happening fast enough, in my opinion. Yeah, the needle is moving inch by inch. Not even inch, millimeter by millimeter. Let me go with my lovely Canadian system.

    8. JS

      [laughs]

    9. MR

      But, you know, it's moving, like, a little bit by little bit, but I, I get so angry sometimes where I just wanna push it, you know? Because it's not fair to expect a whole community of people to look at Devi and feel represented. I used to think, "Oh, no," like, "You don't feel represented by the show, but we worked really hard on it. It's a really good show. We do so much." But then I was like, "No, that's selfish of me." I'm falling into the trap that reality is the white dominant, you know, industry of Hollywood film, TV wants me to, to make these people just deal with it, but they shouldn't, and I shouldn't. I shouldn't have to settle with Devi being my one, you know, main character role that was truly birthed by a leader in the industry, Mindy Kaling. I shouldn't have to settle for that. I should be able to get all the roles, you know, and keep going with my career. Audience should, audiences shouldn't have to settle for just Devi or Nalini or Kamala or even Anissa in Season 2. They should be able to get all the different kind of characters. If you are so proud in your identity, if you are so proud of it, and that is how you identify, it means it's a story worth telling, and nobody can say otherwise. It is definitely worth screen time in some way or another, you know?

    10. JS

      Yeah. That's so powerful. Thank you for sa- sharing that, Maitreyi. It's such a powerful statement, and really, you know, it's emphatic in the way you said it. It's, it's, it's strong, it's powerful, it's bold, and that's, it's the way it needs to be said. I, I remember when I first moved to LA, and I'm obviously born and raised in London, hence the British accent and all the rest of it.

    11. MR

      Mm.

    12. JS

      Uh, but when I moved to LA, I remember going to get my hair cut, and I remember my hairdresser saying to me, they were just like, "Where are you from?" And, and that's normal. I always get asked that-

    13. MR

      Yeah

    14. JS

      ... because of how I look and my accent. And they were like, they didn't know that Indian people sounded any different or looked any different to Apu in The Simpsons. Like, that was their, like, like, their, their take on-

    15. MR

      Mm

    16. JS

      ... you know, what Indian people are.

    17. MR

      Mm, mm, mm.

    18. JS

      And so they were just like, "Are you Indian? Are you sure?" And I was like, "Yeah, yeah, I'm Indian. My parents are both Indian." Uh, and-

    19. MR

      Yeah, I'm sure. [laughs]

    20. JS

      Yeah. [laughs] And-

    21. MR

      Let me go fact-check.

    22. JS

      [laughs]

    23. MR

      I'll be right back, and then you can cut my hair. Okay.

    24. JS

      [laughs]

    25. MR

      No problem.

    26. JS

      And it was so funny because I was just like, I couldn't beli- I was like, and that's, and I sat back to think about it. I moved to LA three years ago, and I sat back to think about it, and I was like, "Yeah, wow," like, for, for a certain generation, I grew up on The Simpsons, too.

    27. MR

      Mm-hmm.

    28. JS

      And I was like, yeah, anyone who watched The Simpsons, like, that was the only character that-

    29. MR

      Yeah

    30. JS

      ... they saw being Indian, right? And so-

  16. 50:02 – 53:14

    The story she stood up for someone

    1. JS

      What was one of the first things you tried to stand up for back in the day, or something, someone that you tried to stand up for and it maybe didn't go how you wanted, or-

    2. MR

      [laughs]

    3. JS

      ... maybe you learned something interesting from it?

    4. MR

      I mean, like, yeah, with all the activism, that does stem from how my parents raised me. Like, that has always been who I am. Before the show came out, I actually had a picture of, like, a walkout that I did for pub- like, cuts to public education on my Instagram. Like, there were some photos. And I had some people ask me, "Are you gonna take that down?" And I'm like, "No."

    5. JS

      [laughs]

    6. MR

      No way. That's still my stance. Don't cut public education.

    7. JS

      Yeah.

    8. MR

      Education is the cornerstone to any thriving society. But yeah, I mean, I'm still just a 19-year-old kid that's learning every day, and is very much so capable of mistakes. Whenever I talk about this, I realize it contributes to the pedestal that I feel like I put-

    9. JS

      Yes

    10. MR

      ... start putting myself on, and then the farther the fall becomes.

    11. JS

      Yeah.

    12. MR

      But I have to always remind myself, "You're just 19. You can make mistakes. And when you're older, you can still make mistakes. We all can still make mistakes." But back to your original question. Um, okay, so one of my close friends, uh, I don't actually remember this, but they vividly do, and they love to bring it up every single time we meet new people. And apparently, so my friend, fellow Tamil, uh, girl, she would always dress up in her traditional clothing, have a pottu, like, she was, you know, braided up. That's how she came to school every day in elementary school, and her mom was, like, always taking her home for lunch and, you know, she's the best. Shout out to Varsha.

    13. JS

      [laughs]

    14. MR

      But, um, some people would make fun of her for that. I saw her and was like, "Oh, okay, cool." Like, I would wear my brother's hand-me-downs. That was, like, how my family rolled. We weren't gonna buy new clothes for me. You just get a baggy, you know, monster car shirt. That's cool. I don't care. But I'd see her and I'd be like, "Okay, cool. You basically, like, look like one of my cousins, so-

    15. JS

      [laughs]

    16. MR

      ... that's nifty." But then these girls were picking on her. I saw one day they were picking on her, and they were, like, bullying her and, like, just making fun of her and, like, getting really up in her space, and I saw that she was getting anxious apparently. I keep saying apparently 'cause I don't remember this.

    17. JS

      [laughs]

    18. MR

      But apparently I went up to them, and it's important to mention, um, shout out to my cousins, they all taught me lovely colorful language at, like, the age of seven. So I went up to them, cursed them out, and said just, you know, "Leave her alone." And, um, yeah, then they got like... You know, they were like, "All right. Fine. Whatever," like, Maitreyi's like, "Whatever. You're getting all mad." And then they walked off, and then I just apparently said, "You good?" She was like, "Yeah."

    19. JS

      [laughs]

    20. MR

      And then I'm like, "Okay," and then I walked away.

    21. JS

      [laughs]

    22. MR

      I wasn't, like, friends with her at the time. We became friends in, like, high school. But I was like-

    23. JS

      Wow

    24. MR

      ... "Okay. Cool."

    25. JS

      [laughs]

    26. MR

      "Thanks." And then I just left. She vividly remembers this, so there you go. There's my time I-

    27. JS

      I love that

    28. MR

      ... stood up.

    29. JS

      I love that. I love that. Maitreyi, it's been so much fun talking to you. I know you've got an extremely busy schedule and so many interviews you're doing, so we're so grateful you spent time, uh, with the On Purpose

  17. 53:14 – 57:29

    Maitreyi on Final Five

    1. JS

      community. But I want to end with our Fast Five. So we end every interview with the Fast Five round that has to be answered in one word to one sentence maximum. So, uh-

    2. MR

      Oh

    3. JS

      ... no long answers.

    4. MR

      Did you not notice how much I talk?

    5. JS

      [laughs] I, I loved it.

    6. MR

      I mean, like-

    7. JS

      I loved that you talk. It was great. I loved that you talk. All right, so Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, these are your Fast Five. Uh, the first question is, what is the best advice you've ever received?

    8. MR

      Stick to your morals.

    9. JS

      Good.

    10. MR

      Don't take no for an answer. Yeah, that's two sentences. Crap. [laughs]

    11. JS

      [laughs] That's fine. What, what is the worst advice you've ever received?

    12. MR

      I don't know. Bad advice, I, I feel like I would probably want to get rid of that out of my brain-

    13. JS

      [laughs]

    14. MR

      ... as quickly as poss- you know what? Bad advice, don't make a fuss about it.

    15. JS

      Hm.

    16. MR

      Not... Like, that's not even, like, advice. Like, it's not like I even took it, but yeah, don't make a fuss about it.

    17. JS

      Great. Yeah, that's a good answer. All right.

    18. MR

      Yeah.

    19. JS

      Question number three, uh, what's the first thing you do in the morning and the last thing you do at night?

    20. MR

      Ugh, really unhealthy. Go on my phone.

    21. JS

      [laughs]

    22. MR

      Bad. I know. I know.

    23. JS

      What do, what do you do on your phone? [laughs]

    24. MR

      Um, it's either, A, watching cartoons or TikTok, social media, but mainly cartoons. [laughs]

    25. JS

      Amazing. I love it. All right, question number four, uh, what's the biggest lesson you've learned in the last 12 months?

    26. MR

      It's okay to make mistakes. You're a work in progress.

    27. JS

      Right.

    28. MR

      And that's because my mom always calls me that. She always says... Whenever anyone praises me to my mom and says, "Your daughter is so lovely. Oh, my gosh. I love her," my mom just says, "Eh, she's a work in progress."

    29. JS

      [laughs]

    30. MR

      She is unfazed. It could be a compliment from Mindy herself-

Episode duration: 57:29

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