Devi Vishwakumar aka Maitreyi Ramakrishnan who plays the protagonist in Mindy Kaling’s teen comedy ‘Never Have I Ever’ is back with the third season of the show. The 20-year-old actress made her debut with the series. In an exclusive conversation with ETimes, the actress reflects on her growth as an actor, dealing with fame, and how she looks at the South Asian representation of women.
Your character ‘Devi’ has surely come a long way in dealing with grief…She really has! And thank you for mentioning that because I think how the makers write, Devi’s journey with grief is so beautiful. Season one was very intense. She had a lot of grief which was overwhelming for her. In season two, she's slowly getting out of it. She's still finally unpacking it. In season three, she catches herself almost moving on. And that's really scary. Letting go can be really tough and it's very exciting and heartwarming to see Devi go through that journey.
Would you as a person agree with all of Devi’s choices that she makes throughout the show?Agree with all of her choices? No, definitely not. She makes a lot of questionable choices. She goes about doing things in wrong ways. I'm trying to think if there's one moment where she actually made sensible decisions like - Devi! Good for you. But that being said, she has good intentions. She's a good kid. She really is. She just doesn't go about things in the best way possible.
Maitreyi, how are you dealing with fame? Tasting success at a young age can also be overwhelming and tricky…Yes, it definitely can be. It's tough sometimes, to be honest. I love acting, I love being an actor. It is the thing that makes me happiest in the world. I would skip out on a day to Disneyland to go to work. I just love my job so much.
Fame, though, is a different thing. It can be a little tricky at times. But thankfully, I have a good group of friends, good family that keeps me grounded, keeps me humble. I'm just very thankful I got to do my job. I love my job so much. I'm so thankful for that. And then I'm also very thankful for the fans too, because I wouldn't be here without them.
You are also playing a huge part in the South Asian representation of women in the entertainment industry. It does come with a lot of responsibility…I sometimes forget that I'm a part of that group of change, to be honest. Sometimes I'm like, oh, yeah, that's my face. That's weird, that's strange. So there's a lot of like, 'Oh my God, this is your life moment.' But when it comes to representation, it's been an interesting journey. At first I felt immense pressure because I felt like I had to represent everyone. But then I realised I don't have to because I can't. I can only represent people who relate to me as Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, putting Devi aside because she's just a character.
I can only be myself and not everyone can relate to me. And that's okay. That's fine. But hopefully one day they'll have someone they can relate to because we need more people. I can't wait for the day that pressure isn't there anymore because there's just so many of us.
What advice would you give young actresses of colour who are finding their feet in the film industry?I would say the first, biggest, and the most important thing is don't compare yourself to others. Don't compare yourself to your friend who also wants to get into the film industry. Don't compare yourself to me. Don't compare yourself at all because everyone's journey is different and they're going to have their awesome journey. You're going to go on this amazing ride that is perfect for you and it won't be for somebody else because it will be your moment as long as you stick to the craft, stick to acting or directing, writing... Whatever it is that they want to do in the industry because there are so many different jobs. As long as you stick to that and why you love that, you'll be okay. Just don't compare yourself to other people. It's not worth it. You're you, they're them. You focus on your own craft.