THE INTERVIEW : Never Have I Ever star Maitreyi Ramakrishnan is doing it for the vibes

IF YOU BELIEVE the early hype, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan rolled off her parents’ couch in Mississauga, Ontario, and into a star-making lead role in Netflix’s hit high school rom-dram Never Have I Ever. It was 2019, and a friend sent the tweet announcing Mindy Kaling’s casting call. Ramakrishnan, then 17 and tired from a long day at real-life Meadowvale Secondary School, went, so it goes: Eh, why not?

- KATIE UNDERWOOD

In truth, Ramakrishnan, now 21, has always had big plans. Okay, maybe “preferred manifestations.” She hadn’t banked on besting 15,000 other young girls to play the now-iconic teenage try-hard Devi Vishwakumar. Acting wasn’t her first dream; she wanted to be an animator. Later, she was cast as Priya Mangal, an (animated) South Asian tween, in Pixar’s Turning Red. Things have a funny way of working out—just rarely in the way she imagines.

The final season of Never Have I Ever, set in Devi’s senior year, streams this month. Another freshly adult actor who’s had less success with serendipity might dread an open schedule, but Ramakrishnan is mostly relaxed. What’s the next big thing for the erstwhile “next big thing”? A university degree? A stint as a Disney princess? She’ll figure it out—or the universe will.

Devi’s finally graduating. In a way, you’re graduating, too. Congrats! Where’s your head at as the series winds down? Reflective? Sad? On to the next?

A mix—sad, excited for the unknown. It ended when it needed to. I hate when shows drag out. That’s a pet peeve of mine.

The good thing about the high school conceit is that it can really only last four years—unless you “fail.”

Right? In real life, I started high school in 2015. Then the show went from 2019 to 2023. I’ve been in high school for eight years. I failed every year, basically. Oh my god.