Never Have I Ever star Maitreyi Ramakrishnan has revealed her character Devi was partially inspired by Brooklyn Nine-Nine and other classic comedies.
Maitreyi is full of comedy one-liners in the Netflix coming-of-age series, which launched its third season last week with Devi in the middle of yet more romantic drama.
While Devi is very much an original, there are still some influences that co-creators Mindy Kaling (The Office) and Lang Fisher (Brooklyn Nine-Nine) have passed down to their star.
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Asked by Digital Spy about icons she draws from, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan said: "I would love to say that it's instinctual. I think a good part of it is instinctual but I think a lot of it is also very influenced by Steve Carell as Michael Scott in my formative years in high school.
"All I wanted was to be the Michael Scott of the group, you know? Even Leslie Knope – you know, good, old Amy Poehler from Parks and Recreation.
"I definitely think I have some subconscious pulls from comedy that I personally enjoyed and I guess there'd be Andy Samberg as Jake Peralta [from Brooklyn Nine-Nine].
"When I look at myself on screen, when I see the performances that I give, I'm like, 'OK, I see it. I see some of the Jake Peralta looks, or the swagger'."
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Michael Scott, Leslie Knope and Jake Peralta – that's a pretty fantastic trio of influences for Devi! We look forward to more of "the swagger" in the next season...
Never Have I Ever season 3 is available to watch now on Netflix, with a fourth and final season set to arrive on the streaming service next year.
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Justin is a freelance entertainment journalist and writer. He first joined Digital Spy as a freelance entertainment reporter in 2010 and also worked as a sub-editor for the brand, serving as Night News Editor from 2016 to 2024. Over more than a decade, Justin has covered numerous major entertainment events from the US and has interviewed a wide-ranging group of public figures, from comedian Steve Coogan to icons from the Star Trek universe, cast members from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and reality stars from numerous Real Housewives cities and the Below Deck franchise. Justin has also been on the ground to cover major pop culture events like the Star Wars Celebration and the D23 Expo. He's written for titles across the Hearst network, plus the likes of CBR and Us Weekly.
TV writer, Digital Spy Janet completed her Masters degree in Magazine Journalism in 2013 and has continued to grow professionally within the industry ever since. For six years she honed her analytical reviewing skills at the Good Housekeeping institute eventually becoming Acting Head of Food testing. She also freelanced in the field of film and TV journalism from 2013-2020, when she interviewed A-List stars such as Samuel L Jackson, Colin Firth and Scarlett Johansson. In 2021 she joined Digital Spy as TV writer where she gets to delve into more of what she loves, watching copious amounts of telly all in the name of work. Since taking on the role she has conducted red carpet interviews with the cast of Bridgerton, covered the BAFTAs and been interviewed by BBC Radio and London Live. In her spare time she also moonlights as a published author, the book Gothic Angel.
