Poorna Jagannathan Reveals Which Roles Almost Made Her Quit Acting

For 4 groundbreaking television years, Poorna Jagannathan, played a strict Indian mom on Never Have I Ever. Her character, Nalini Vishwakumar was a widow, doctor and single mother of a teenage girl. Jagannathan sat down exclusively with SheKnows to chat all about her life-changing role. She opens up about how she was always the side character earlier in her career, often to Caucasian leads. Two roles changed that. They also made her realize the importance of feeling like you belong by having South Asians stories on film and television. Jagannathan tells us why her acting career has been built more on saying, “no,” than “yes.” Watch the full video above.

Never Have I Ever changed Poorna Jagannathan’s life and career. No doubt. But it was her role in The Night Of that caused a significant shift in the types of role she was being offered. It was “one of TV’s first South Asian families ever to be portrayed,” Jagannathan says, “But before that, I was in America. I was getting just very stereotypical roles like the doctor, the nurse, the wife of the terrorist. You know, there was a whole new category that got added in after 9/11. None of these roles represented who I was, or where I came from, or my history, or where I was going. I really do believe I would’ve probably stopped being an actor if those were the only roles available.”

Thankfully, now Jagannathan says things have shifted. South Asians are now “inside telling stories that matter.” She recalls how many “side characters” she had to play. “The amount of, like best friend of color roles, I’d go in for. My entire existence on screen was to listen to… what the usually Caucasian lead has to say, and problem solve with her. And figure out, once again, she’s got herself into a mess, how do I get her out. Like, who give a f-cking sh-t, you know, no one cares.”

Because of this seismic and necessary shift in roles she now gets, we asked if she turns down those other roles now. She confesses, “I used to turn down those roles as well! So I always say my career has been built on a bunch of ‘Nos’ versus ‘Yeses.'” She explains those roles weren’t paying the bills, nor were they giving her joy, and she had another career in advertising. So when the roles that she wanted to play weren’t there, she did her other career. Why? Simply put, she says, “Stereotype is a form of racism.”

The role of Nalini was her “bucket list” role she admits. She was tired of seeing Indian moms being portrayed in such a one-dimensional way. “Like the nagging mother wants to get her perfect son married, and that’s all she’s concerned about. And you know, I’m an immigrant mom. My mom’s an immigrant mom, and my aunts, my everyone, and none of us felt reflected by what we saw.”

That all changed with a woman named Nalini. “You get so much past and history, you get so much joy and grief, you get so much longing, desire, femininity, sexuality, that’s amazing,” Jagannathan says joyfully. Jagannathan even told us how she would have tackled some of her character’s funniest parenting moments.

Four years ago, Never Have I Ever was one of the few South Asian shows. She says proudly and happily that now there are many more. And the joy Jagannathan feels about no longer being the only South Asian walking on to a set can hardly be described. But her mother keeps her grounded. In fact, she reveals that her mom will say, “You’re not on the poster, does that mean you’re not on the show? Why are you not on the poster, are you not important this season? (She does that) every single season!” Maybe, Jagannathan’s mom is on to something, or trying to get a job as her publicist.

Watch the full video to find out which popular show that Jagannathan was in, that she’d love to recast with her dream South Asian cast. Here’s a hint, it’s big, has a lot of lies, and she wants Nicole Kidman’s role. But she also loved working with Kidman, so no doubt she’d find a role for her. We can see the poster already!

*Editor’s note: Filmed before the start of the SAG-AFTRA strike.

Before you go, click here to see movies & TV shows that highlight Southeast Asian culture.