‘Never Have I Ever’ star Maitreyi Ramakrishnan on self-doubt, South Asian representation, and her next movie role.
Bustle Booth The Never Have I Ever star isn’t one for love stories, but she plays them pretty convincingly. Maitreyi Ramakrishnan doesn’t consider herself a romantic. Sometimes she can be, if she’s in the right mindset and she happens to be crushing on someone. But normally? “Nah, I’m like a cynic. I’m all, #LoveIsDead2021,” the 19-year-old tells Bustle. Ramakrishnan’s role on Never Have I Ever may convince you otherwise. She stars as Devi Vishwakumar, a lovesick South Asian teen torn between her bookish classmate Ben and high school heartthrob Paxton. She’s outspoken and ambitious, but desperate to be liked by boys. Season 2 delves deeper into what it means to love and be loved — both romantically and platonically — while Devi continues to process the grief she feels over her father’s sudden death. Working on a show about a girl still figuring out her place in the world has been fitting for Ramakrishnan, who jokingly calls the crew her “university friends” even though they’re old enough to be her parents. The Ontario, Canada native landed the part of Devi at 17 after seeing a casting call on Twitter. She’d never acted before, but beat out 15,000 other applicants. Acting alongside seasoned performers made her anxious at first.
