Maitreyi Ramakrishnan is trying not to stress about the future.
In a new interview with ELLE Canada, the “Never Have I Ever” star opens up about the pressure of having to find her next gig with her breakout Netflix series now ended.
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The Canadian actress has particularly felt that pressure while on hitting the red carpet and press cycle for the show’s fourth and final season, where she is frequently asked what’s next.
“It’s just like: ‘Oh, you’ve done nothing all this time? What have you been doing—just sitting on your ass?’” Ramakrishnan says. “I was going through all these anxieties.”
Now 21-years-old, the Mississauga native recalls that one of the first pieces of advice she got after landing “Never Have I Ever” was to always jump into new things, no matter what, otherwise she will be forgotten.
“What the f**k is this to say to a 17-year-old?” Ramakrishnan says, looking back. “That’s insane. You don’t say that to an adult, let alone a child. That is very toxic.”
Instead, she’s been living with another piece of advice she got from casting directors when the series wrapped up.
“First of all, [they said that] the projects will come,” she says. “There are a million reasons why projects don’t work out. And that’s okay. It’s not anything personal. It’ll happen on its own time. [They told me that] I’m talented and I need to recognize and see myself how everyone else sees me, because if I don’t see it, then I’m doing myself a disservice.”
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The advice they gave her was to focus on living her life and having real experiences, which would in turn make her and even better actor.
“I’ve been working crazy hard since I was 17,” Ramakrishnan says, “So, I’m cool to just take a little breather. I know myself. I know I’m a hard worker. I know I will never stop working.”
She also thanked those casting directors, recalling, “I was like, ‘I hope you guys realize how sad and depressed I was and how much you definitely helped my mental health.’”
Over the years, Ramakrishnan has also learned to feel more empowered and to speak her mind when she needs to.
“I refuse to feel like my value [can be] discarded,” she says. “I used to be very nervous about putting my dreams out there because there are people who are always praying for your downfall. But now I know that I have to put myself out there, stand up for myself and stick to my guns while still very much saying what I want.”