Megan Suri
Megan Suri
on her connection with her character on Netflix’s “Never Have I Ever”
Cariann Bradley: Hi, Megan, how are you?
Megan Suri: Hi, I'm good. How are you?
Cariann Bradley: I'm good! Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to me today.
Megan Suri: Of course. Thanks for having me.
Cariann Bradley: You already did your shoot with Davy, right?
Megan Suri: I did. He was great!
Cariann Bradley: He's so great. I've known him for about 10 years. He's just so lovely.
Megan Suri: So lovely! [It was] genuinely the coolest, chillest shoot I think I've ever had so far.
Cariann Bradley: I’m so glad! So, I wanted to talk to you a little bit about your career, your life and “Never Have I Ever.” Maybe you could just start by talking to me a little bit about this most recent season of “Never Have I Ever,” and what that was like to film.
Megan Suri: Is there anything in particular that you want to know, or just a generalized idea?
Cariann Bradley: Maybe just a generalized idea and then I can go from there.
Megan Suri: For sure. It was really cool. It was a lot easier this time, I'd say. Just because for one, I wasn't the new girl anymore and I had more familial relationships with the cast and there was this sense of familiarity. There was a sense of unity now more so than before. I didn't have those crazy nerves that I felt during season two. That made filming for me a lot smoother internally. I got to film some really cool scenes. I had a really unexpected but beautiful storyline that I thought was really cool. There's not really much to say about this show other than, it's always just a really easy, chill time.
Cariann Bradley: I watched the first season right when it came out and I just fell in love with the show. I think it's so special to have the Indian-American representation on screen, especially for a big Netflix original.
Megan Suri: Oh, sure. It's funny — it's weird because this show came out during COVID. Obviously, it's on a streaming platform. Being that it's a show, you don't really get the sense of how audiences are reacting to it, what they are laughing at, what they are crying at, where the joy is coming from, where the pain is universally felt. We just had our premier for season three last week. We did this event at the Pantages Theater for Netflix Is A Joke Fest. That was the first time that we had the privilege of witnessing fans react to our live table read of the first episode of season three. That was just crazy. The energy was bonkers. Then, at the premier, when I tell you there were lines and lines of people waiting, I think I read somewhere that there was a fan who said that they had been waiting in line for five hours.
Cariann Bradley: Oh my god.
Megan Suri: It was insane to me. It was like, the beauty of this show is that, yes, I have realized that we have touched the hearts of so many brown people, and they feel so represented and proud and just like finally, they have a place in mainstream media, which, as we should. Seeing all of our fans at the premier and seeing that they weren't just Indian, that there were people of all colors, of all shapes and sizes, of all everything; it looked like the world, it was reflective of the world. I think that was like, "Oh, shit. We have done something really special that doesn't just touch one specific set of people." It's really cool.
Cariann Bradley: That's so beautiful. It's so interesting too, talking to people that worked on shows and features that came out in COVID, because I feel like it is a delayed reaction that you're getting to experience from fans. You can see on social media how fans are reacting, but until you see it in real life…
Megan Suri: It's exactly that. It's nuts. Then, to add on to the Indian representation, I would say that one of the even cooler parts about the show is that sometimes we do see Indian representation on TV. I've certainly been lucky in my career to have been able to play characters on TV consistently throughout so far. Let's hope it keeps going that way. The really dope thing about Never Have I Ever is that, it's not just Mindy Kaling that's the brown person behind it. We have so many brown writers. I've worked with the most women directors I've ever worked with in my life. Two of them being brown, which is really special to me particularly. We just see that diversity flowing, both onscreen and offscreen, which is really nice.
Cariann Bradley: That's so incredible. I had a similar conversation with Lola Tung, who stars in the Summer I Turned Pretty. She was talking about the Asian people that were behind the show. It's not just Asian representation in the show, much of the crew is also represented and that feels really special. It makes it feel actually super-genuine.
Megan Suri: For sure. That's become the norm too. I've gone to sets after Never Have I Ever, and being there for months or weeks at a time, and then you go to a set afterwards and you're like, "Oh, wow." Now, there is more of an effort to diversify behind the camera. It's like, I think Never Have I Ever really normalized that for me. It's unfortunately not a normal thing, it should be, but it's not. I think after seeing Never Have I Ever, I'm like, "It could just be like this and this is cool." I don't know, it's great.
Cariann Bradley: Definitely. I'm hoping that sets like Never Have I Ever and shows like this create a new standard for things going forward.
Megan Suri: I can't see why it wouldn't, so it's really awesome.
Cariann Bradley: That's excellent. I've been thinking a lot lately, with hearing the news of several mergers going on, like with HBO and streaming platforms, I've just been hearing crazy stuff of networks merging and then shows getting canceled. Doing interviews like this, I try to follow all of the people that I interview. I try to follow their projects as they keep going in their career. Seeing them have shows get canceled and things like that, what is it like being an actor and in a show that's mainly on a streaming platform? What is that like? I just can't even imagine. I think it's a super-fascinating idea.
Megan Suri: First of all, I thought you said murders at first, and I was like—
Cariann Bradley: No, mergers! [Laughs]
Megan Suri: [Laughs] Like whoa, we're taking a dark turn!
It's weird. I grew up in like, most of the work that I did was on primetime TV. I was doing a lot of ABC stuff or just movies. You're either getting the ratings on primetime TV or you're not. That's indicative of whether or not the show is performing well. Then with movies, obviously, back when COVID wasn't a thing, you were getting the audience reactions, and that was really cool. I had worked with Netflix before, but Never Have I Ever has been my first bigger global reach, in terms of my role as Aneesa. I'm new to this world, in a sense.
It's crazy. When you're on Netflix, it's probably a little bit different just because it's the most viewed streaming platform. Also, I knew coming into Never Have I Ever that it was a huge show, hence my nerves, because it blew up and I was also a fan of the first season. I watched it when I came out. I don't know. Unfortunately, as someone like me, who I'm not super keen on social media, you feel most of the love there and people feel very connected and will definitely show their love, which is very nice. I think this is just the new norm now. This is just how it is. I don't even really know how to answer that question other than, it's just the way now. TV shows obviously differ from movies. Most TV shows are always viewed at home. Am I answering your question?
Cariann Bradley: Yeah, you are.
Megan Suri: Okay, cool.
Cariann Bradley: I don't think there's a correct answer because it's just really, it's interesting and it's happening now, so it's not something that we can comment on as a past thing.
Megan Suri: For sure. If anything, I feel like after the season two release, I very distinctly remember, because it was just like things were just opening back up when season two released. Again, I did not think anything of it. I was just living my normal life as I was. Then the first time I got recognized for season two, it did not help. I was literally dressed like Aneesa, looking in hindsight, it was not on purpose. That was literally what I was dressed like. I wasn't doing anything on...
That was super-awkward for me because I hadn't been out of my house in so long. My social skills died down and I didn't know how to do that. I feel like even if I was socially up to date and I wasn't as awkward as I normally am, in conjunction with the social awkwardness that I think everyone or at least a lot of people definitely became just because of the lack of socialization, I didn't know what to do. That was super-jarring. It was really funny, but a very good learning moment.
Cariann Bradley: Honestly, I can't even imagine. When I started leaving my house, I was having trouble ordering a coffee. I can't even imagine being recognized for being in a show.
Megan Suri: Exactly, me neither. It's kind of nuts. I'm barely, very slowly but surely, getting back to being somewhat of a normal human being and being able to handle socializing somewhat okay.
Cariann Bradley: That is so interesting. I hadn't even thought about that.
Megan Suri: Well, nuts. You don't realize it until it happens and then you are like, "Oh yeah, this might be a little bit of a problem."
Cariann Bradley: It's COVID and all of that compounded things that were already weird.
Megan Suri: Yeah, 100%.
Cariann Bradley: And then Aneesa, I wanted to talk to you about your character. What is your favorite part about Aneesa, and how do you think you guys are similar?
Megan Suri: Oh, man, that's such a great question. It's going to take me a long time to answer this because I genuinely love Aneesa. I was saying this recently in interviews, she's more of an aspiration for me than she is someone that I feel directly similar to. I've always said that I'm a little bit probably closer to Devi. I love Aneesa because first of all, she is such an important brown character that I think was necessary, not to be dramatic, but necessary in mainstream Western TV. Just because we always see Asians and particularly Indians being characterized or categorized as the really smart nerd, or nerd but maybe they are a little quirky and all of these great traits. There's nothing wrong with being a nerd, I was one.
I think that there is something really important about showcasing a brown girl who was cool and confident, and all the things that I feel like women in general are taught or almost, how do I say this, socially maneuvered into not being.
Cariann Bradley: Conditioned, almost.
“I think that there is something really important about showcasing a brown girl who was cool and confident, and all the things that I feel like women in general are taught or almost, how do I say this, socially maneuvered into not being.”
Megan Suri: Conditioned, that's the word. Thank you. I dropped out of college, so I can't think right now. [Laughs] I love that. I love that she was sporty and she was just a really cool character. Then, on top of that, she was also very kind. Immediately, everyone, I think from the first episode, especially Aneesa's introduction scene, just because she was the cool person, they immediately just thought that she was like, "Oh, okay, cool. She's the cool, popular one. She's just going to be a terrible person." Aneesa defied those stereotypes, and ended up being this just genuinely likable person.
Her likability, it wasn't because she was putting on something. It was just because that was naturally her and she was charismatic, and she's cool and she's confident, but she's incredibly kind. She's forgiving. She's all of these great traits. She's mature. We see that so much in season three. She has so much self-respect and she's not afraid to speak her mind. She's vulnerable. She's honest. She's upfront. She doesn't beat around the bush. She sticks up for herself. She sticks up for her friends. I can go on and on about her. She's definitely an aspiration.
Then in ways that we are similar I would say is probably on a surface level, Aneesa and I. Aneesa plays soccer, I played basketball growing up. We've got that sporty, athletic element to it. I would say that I try my best to lead. One of my favorite quotes that my dad told me, it's not his quote, but it's something that I try actively to live by is, "It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice." I think that Aneesa is a great representation of that. She gets all of that attention, but she's, in her core, still and incredibly kind. It doesn't waiver from that.
Let me think. How else am I similar to her? I feel like looking back at my high school years, I probably outwardly seemed like an Aneesa. I knew what was going on and I knew who I was, but I think in my inner-self, I was definitely a Devi. Just racked with insecurities and doubt and self-doubt and still a lot of anxiety. That's how I would answer that question.
Cariann Bradley: I love hearing from actors about how they connected to their characters and it's just the way you describe Aneesa is so — you describe her like she's a friend that you love.
Megan Suri: I know. I really — It's crazy. I feel like even people, even actors who will play terrible characters, and that's probably the beauty of what we do, there's always a way to connect to them. Then I think you walk in those shoes long enough and you devote so much time into figuring out who this person is that they almost feel like a best friend. Then you get really defensive over them. I remember even when season two came out and I had read some comments and I had very quickly learned that reading comments was not a good thing.
Just don't do that, because you can read a hundred great ones, but then it just takes one or two or three to just ruin your mood. I've learned my lesson. When people would say some things about Aneesa, I'd be a baby. I'd be ready to fight them and stop them on the spot like, "No, don't ever speak about her like that. She is perfect." She's imperfectly perfect. I really do love her. I do.
Cariann Bradley: I love that. I think it's also probably part of writing and how writing is becoming more well-rounded characters and implementing those into shows, it reminds us how normal people are. We're all complex and we can all be humanized, in some way, even if it's a "bad character."
Megan Suri: Absolutely. I think that's a huge reason as to why Never Have I Ever does as well as it does is because the writing is so great and people feel connected.I think everyone can see themselves in almost all the characters in some way, but the writing does a great job of handling that real human connection and relatability.
Cariann Bradley: Yeah, definitely. Well, I love that. You are so great at answering questions. It's so easy.
Megan Suri: Oh, thank you.
Cariann Bradley: I did want to ask you, and you mentioned your dad, I wanted to ask you about growing up and when did you decide that this is what you wanted to do and what was your first project?
Megan Suri: Yeah, it's funny. Well, growing up, again, I didn't have a show like this, so I never really saw the prospect of becoming an actor. I couldn't even fathom the idea of, "Oh, this could be something that I could do." It was just something that I enjoyed doing. I'm the middle child. I enjoyed entertaining people and being the weird, outspoken, but just rambunctious one.
I performed in my third-grade talent show and my dad came out to watch. Pretty much instantaneously after that, decided to sign me up to audition for acting school, without even consulting with me, just took matters into his own hands. I auditioned and I was lucky enough to get in. Then, a year from that point, after I was in school, I booked my first job, which honestly, I couldn't have been luckier. This doesn't really ever happen. It was very jarring. I booked Valentine's Day, and I got to be in a movie with, my first co-star was essentially Jennifer Garner and Ashton Kutcher.
Cariann Bradley: All-star cast.
Megan Suri: It was nuts. It was honestly really nuts. I grew up loving 13 Going on 30, as every human being who's ever seen that movie has. I distinctly remember I was coming out of my car to my first day on set. I saw Jennifer Garner walking out of her trailer. I was like, "Oh, my God, it's Jenna Rink." I was nine and a half old. My acting teacher on set was like, "They are just normal people." I had to learn how to just treat celebrities like they were normal people. That was my first job. I consider myself very lucky for how it's gone so far.
Cariann Bradley: That is an amazing first job experience.
Megan Suri: It's nuts.
Cariann Bradley: I love those movies. I go back and watch them a lot actually, Valentine's Day and New Year's Eve.
Megan Suri: Oh, yeah. They're comfort movies. I feel like we haven't had a good rom-com in a long time, so I'm really pushing for a nice rom-com revival.
Cariann Bradley: I hope that we get one. I feel the same way. That's funny too that your dad signed you up.e What is that like, your relationship with your parents and their support of your acting?
Megan Suri: It's funny. Very similar to how I appreciate that Aneesa is defying what we stereotypically think of as an Indian girl. I think I grew up similarly with very non-stereotypical Indian parents. My dad has always encouraged myself, including my siblings, to chase after whatever we're passionate about. He would support us as much as he possibly can. I don't think that when I was as young as I was, when this was happening, I didn't really realize how much of a blessing that was until I grew older and met people outside of my little bubble and learned about their stories and how they don't have that similar support.I think that just made me appreciate my parents a gazillion times more. Because, when you grow up in that world, you just very naively, as a child, assume that's how the world is. It isn't until you get out of it and meet real people and discover the actual world you are like, "Oh, no, you just have really nice and awesome parents."
I would say that I grew up pretty close to my family. My mom is my best friend. I share everything with her. There's literally not one thing that I haven't shared with her. I'm sure there are certain things she wished that I didn't share with her but I have. My dad, he's just the most awesome supportive dad. He's so proud to a point where it makes me cringe a lot because he'll call his friends up in India, like someone that I've never met in my life and before they even start to reminisce about their childhood, my dad's like, the first thing he'll say is, "Oh, Megan was in this. You got to check it out. She's got this movie." I'm like, "Dad, what are you doing?"
Cariann Bradley: I love it.
Megan Suri: Then he'll put me on the phone and I'm like, "Oh, God." Now, I don't know what to say. How do I talk about myself without seeming like a narcissistic asshole? I've really got, honestly, the best parents and I couldn't be more grateful.
Cariann Bradley: That's so beautiful. I love that. I love the supportive dad energy.
Megan Suri: He's like, think Amy Poehler in Mean Girls supportive energy. That is literally him every single time I go out anywhere with his camera. He's a very proud dad.
Cariann Bradley: I love that. I'm not going to take up too much of your time but I did want to ask, what would you ultimately like to see for your character in Never Have I Ever in the future?
Megan Suri: Well, because this is a tricky question because we've already filmed season four, I ultimately know what happens. What I will say is if I could answer that question with what I hope and imagine would happen for Aneesa after she moves on from high school. I just hope that she continues to bask in self-love and she heals from all of the struggles that she's going through. Oh, I almost slipped up and gave a spoiler!
Cariann Bradley: Don't worry. If you did, I would have taken it off the record. Don't worry.
Megan Suri: I hope that she just becomes an amazing soccer superstar, even if that's just playing D1 college soccer. I hope she can make it into women's soccer and just become a really dope idol for people. I feel that's the best I can say for right now without giving away too much. Ultimately, as we've even seen in season three, Aneesa is very comfortable or is learning to be comfortable, or at least choosing herself first. I just hope that that's what she continues to do her entire life because she's a pretty damn awesome person. I think that anyone would be lucky to have her in a friendship way or a relationship way.
Cariann Bradley: That's beautiful. I love that. I also wanted to ask one last thing. How has your role on Never Have I Ever, and that job as a whole, influenced where you want to go in the future for your career, like projects that you want to take on? Has that changed how you want to go forward and what roles you're hoping to get next?
Megan Suri: I don't think that it's changed much as to what I would like to do in the sense of, I've always wanted to be able to play complex characters and characters that weren't just the token brown friend or the token character. I think what Never Have I Ever has done for me is it's definitely opened the doors. One, to just proving, it's sad that we have to prove, but it's proven time after time, and we've got number one three times now in a row, that these stories, they have a place and they have not just a place in one niche country, but really a global mass.
I want to continue. What it's also done is it's opened those doors for me to be able to get roles now where I have more of a say in like, "Okay, I don't necessarily want to do this role." Or getting access to roles that I probably wouldn't have gotten otherwise so far, even despite my decade-long career. That's really awesome. I just can only hope that moving forward, I get to play more complex characters, characters that are real humans, have real stories to them.
Just complexities that I feel like a lot of people can relate to and hopefully learn something from. That's the reason why I act is, essentially, just to learn about people and in turn, the irony is that you end up learning a lot more about yourself as well. Just the discovery of playing real humans and what it's like to experience real human emotions is the goal.
Cariann Bradley: That's beautiful. I always say, because I'm a voracious reader, I love reading fiction and non-fiction, but I always say that reading is such a good exercise and exercising the muscle of empathy. Putting ourselves in someone else's shoes is the first step of acknowledging our privilege or trying to understand people that live different lives than us. I feel like, man, acting is exactly that. That's amazing.
I really appreciate your time and I've loved you in the show and I can't wait to see what you do next. I'm hoping that there's excellent writing and characters in the future of your career. It was just so lovely to meet you and I'm so happy to have you on l'Odet and have you be part of this.
Megan Suri: Thank you so much. It's really kind. I feel the exact same way. You were great and you asked really good questions. Thank you.
Photos by DAVY KESEY.