The tiniest event can tear a hole in the grey curtain of reaction which has marked the horizons of possibility under capitalist realism. From a situation in which nothing can happen, suddenly anything is possible again.
Instead of saying 'unique,' I will say 'Kattappava Kaanom' is a very special and lucky film for me because I got the chance to step into Hindi film industry when I was in the shoot of this movie.
I didn't really know what I wanted to do, and then I got this call from a casting director in Los Angeles. She remembered me from something years before, and she called my mom wanting me to audition for this thing.
It's hard for an up and coming player who has the eyes of Manchester United on them to take that opportunity and then sort of not given the opportunity to break through because of the quality already there.
The guy that picked me up at the airport in 1985 when I was out in L.A. for my first audition was selling a script. I was a nobody coming off a plane to read for a new show.
We were bemused, I guess, when we got the call from Hollywood. We didn't know anything about the entertainment industry or even what a casting agency was. But I thought, 'What do I have to lose?' It's not every day a great opportunity presents itself.
'SNL' is our main priority because that was our first big break.
I was fresh out of drama school and had no idea what I was doing. They hustled me along and Bill Cosby tolerated my rookie behavior. It was great. Once you have 'The Cosby Show' on your resume, you can keep going.
Working on 'Gossip Girl' was a fantastic experience. It was my first real gig and I'm thankful for it - I got to learn a lot. I'm glad I got to explore getting comfortable in my own shoes in the background on a show like 'Gossip Girl.'
I grew up on such a small island, and professional theater seemed so far away. I never, ever thought I'd get so lucky to be appearing in movies.
I began as an assistant director to Mahesh Bhatt sahab on films like 'Zulm,' 'Kabza' and 'Aawargi' during the '80s. Then I got an opportunity to act and I took it up thinking direction was something which I could always pursue later.
If not for radio, I'd probably be working at the local supermarket doing who knows what. But after I got that first break at 16, I was not going to do anything else. I had my mind set on radio one way or another.
I took up Naagin 4' because it's been a number one show. So, I guess it was a big opportunity for me to be part of it and that's why I took it.
I mean, it gave me so much popularity, and because of TV, I got my first breakthrough. But I just enjoy doing films more.
I had actually sent an audition tape for Simon Pegg's movie 'Hot Fuzz,' which came to nothing. Four years after the film released, out of nowhere, I got a call saying the producers of 'Game of Thrones' wanted me to play Hodor after they had seen that particular tape.
I started as a child artist, and not as a heroine, as most would think. I was performing on stage once when the late Bimal Roy saw me and asked me if I would work in films. I was too tiny. Without realising, I just said yes.
I struggled and I did theater for 10 years, for 15 years, I tried to get little parts here and there in TV shows. So, for me, the opportunity to work with Jim Carrey was amazing, it was phenomenal, it was eye-opening.
