TV & Movies/Interviews

When first meeting 19-year-old Mississauga native Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, it’s easy to forget that the up-and-coming star has spent the last year cementing her place as one of Hollywood’s brightest new faces. The star of Netflix’s Never Have I Ever—and who was hand-picked by Mindy Kaling herself—is funny, enthusiastic and relentlessly down-to-earth, despite experiencing a meteoric, COVID-19–defying ascent to fame.

That groundedness might be because, as she says in our interview, she’s still not quite convinced any of this is real. When Season 1 of NHIE dropped on Netflix last year, mid-pandemic, it was an instant smash-hit; Season 2 has just been released to a fan base clamoring for more of its signature charm and realistic, relatable storylines.

In a landscape of sensationalized, sexualized, model-hot (and often exclusively white) teenage dramas, Kaling’s frank teen comedy was a breath of fresh air, and its wild popularity brought Ramakrishnan straight to the top along with it. But the show’s success was entirely contained within the pandemic: all the applause she was hearing was only through the filter of her computer screen.

“It actually sort of all felt like an internet hoax,” Ramakrishnan laughs. “Like, yeah, my face is there, but it’s all on good old digital. In some ways, certain achievements would come along and it all sort of felt the same because it was all just a click away on a website. It was super interesting and definitely rough, too—it was also very isolating.”

And the achievements were definitely rolling in: the teen is now a PLAN Ambassador; has been named one of the New York Times Magazine’s best actors of 2020; and is also a member of the TIME 100 Next 2021, an annual list of 100 individuals who are shaping the future of their fields.

This is in large part because of NHIE’s fantastic representation and its unique capacity for authenticity. Ramakrishnan weaves together coming-of-age humour and complex, emotional storylines with a deftness far beyond her years. And fans can look forward to more of the same in Season 2.

“I hope fans really appreciate the focus on mental health in Season 2. Devi, of course, is going through grief in Season 1, and that’s what Season 1 was truly about at its core. But this season is all about mental health, and that whole idea of figuring yourself out.

“I’m beyond proud,” says Ramakrishnan, of everything the show has accomplished. “I’m really proud of everyone who’s also a part of this, especially Season 2, because that season is truly a labour of love. What I think makes Never Have I Ever stand out as such an authentic show is that it’s all honest, genuine stories that are relatable to many, regardless of whether you’re South Asian or you’re not, whether you’re in high school or not. You can still relate to the show and see yourself in these stories.”