Mindy Moving Forward

Life keeps getting better and bolder for Mindy Kaling. And the star and new mom couldn’t be more excited about what lies ahead.

- Pam O’Brien

Mindy Kaling is not one to stay still. Whether it’s her work, her workouts, or her home life, “I always want to do something new and different,” says the actor, writer, and producer. “I love variety.”

In the past year, she has surpassed that goal. Mindy is starring in two megamovies—the hotly anticipated all-female Ocean’s 8, which opens June 8, in addition to A Wrinkle in Time; she cocreated, writes for, and stars in Champions, a new TV show on NBC; she bought a house; and, oh yeah, she had a baby, Katherine (Kit for short) Kaling, in mid-December. “It’s crazy,” Mindy says of her jam-packed life. At the same time, though, she looks totally unfazed by it. Because becoming a mom has, in a weird way, actually given Mindy new balance.

Life before Kit was basically synonymous with work. Mindy, 38, is passionate about what she does, and she was on the job until she gave birth and then back at it two days after delivery, editing and making conference calls. But motherhood has made Mindy appreciate the other aspects of her life a little more. “It hits me all the time that I have somebody at home who not just wants to see me but needs to see me,” Mindy says. “That’s incredibly rewarding. When someone needs you all the time, and they also kind of look like you, it’s a really nice feeling.”