Maitreyi Ramakrishnan is Determined, Hilarious, and—Above All—Real

Armed with a chart-topping Netflix series, an independent spirit, and sheer self-confidence, this 20-year-old is as powerful a voice as she is a star.

- Milli Midwood

It has been over a year since we first sat down to chat—virtually, obvs—with Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, just after the release of Netflix’s chart-topping original series (and Maitreyi’s first foray on the small screen), Never Have I Ever. This time when we both logged onto Zoom, we sat in exactly the same spots as before— she at her parents’ house in Canada, me at my dining table at home. It’s almost like nothing has changed, but, of course, it has, because along the way, Maitreyi has become another level of famous.

Since we last spoke, over 40 million households tuned in to watch season one of Never Have I Ever; Maitreyi was anointed one of Time’s 100 People of the Year; and no less an eminence than Michelle Obama recruited the Tamil-Canadian actor to join her for an inspiring online event centred on how to empower adolescent girls through education.

“It was so cool!” recounts Maitreyi. “Michelle Obama’s team reached out to mine, they wanted me to do a segment for Popsugar’s Girl Talk about ways to own your uniqueness. I thought the topic was amazing, especially in a world of social media, where we are constantly being shown photos of other people to compare ourselves to. It is super-important to love who you are and own yourself. I’d really hate for my younger female followers to feel like they need to look like someone else, and that is why I preach self-love” Maitreyi adds.