SSP STAFF WRITER: ENTERTAINMENT ZONE: January 25, 2022
In 2019, we had the honor of watching a talented actress in a Rogue Machine Theatre stage production of Bekah Brunstetter‘s Miss Lilly Gets Boned. She was sensational and the play was pretty good too. Needless to say, we were thrilled to get the chance to catch up with here a few years later in 2022. Obviously, the last couple of years have not been rosy but she hasn’t let those trying times get her down. In fact, she’s better than ever and looking ahead to all the wonderful things on the horizon. But before we get ahead of ourselves, we’d like to introduce you to our friend Kavi.
SSP: Tell our followers a little about yourself.
KRL: My name is Kavitha Ramachandran Ladnier. I was born in Kerala, India and moved to the U.S when I was 8 months old. I’ve lived all over.. India, Michigan, Ohio, New York, Florida back to New York City and then moved to LA from New York when my daughter was two. I’m an actor and producer and have wanted to be an actor since I was five years old. And my greatest role is mama to my 18 year old daughter, Leela. Whether though my art or using my voice or hands to help, my greatest wish is to live a life of service.
SSP: What attracted you to begin a career as an actor?
KRL: THE JUNGLE BOOK. When I was five, I was watching it with my mom on a huge screen in my elementary school auditorium and when the little girl at the end came on singing her song. My eyes grew big and I looked at my mom and said, “I want to do that.” She didn’t even have a name until the second film – It’s Shanti by the way 🙂 – but I saw myself in her. I had never seen myself on screen in this country and it blew me away. My mom and I both still remember that moment. So an animated Disney character inspired me in an instant and decades later my daughter would become the very first South Asian Disney animated leading character, (MIRA, ROYAL DETECTIVE). Full circle for sure.
SSP: Was it harder to get started or to keep going? What was the particular thing that you had to conquer to do either?
KRL: It’s an interesting question because the thing I had to conquer affected both without me realizing it. There was no one who looked like me in American film and TV for most of my childhood, but I knew without a doubt it was my path. I had blinders on to the obstacles. I remember moving from outside of Cincinnati after fifth grade and my going away cake said, “Give our regards to Broadway”. I knew and everyone who knew me knew. No one told me when I was younger that I couldn’t, but there was no visual proof either. I knew I wanted to go to New York City and off to NYU when I was very young. And when I was 18 I did, but a part of me had to push aside what it meant to be a small brown girl in a very white industry. I did and I worked a lot and then proceeded to for over 27 years. But the cost of pushing down those feelings finally caught up with me when ‘Oscars So White’ became a thing, I had to face and heal and deal with the pain I ignored in order to move forward. I was also a single mom really struggling at that time and facing people telling me to give up and get a “real job.” But I didn’t give up, and that paid off for me and for my daughter. Being a person of color in America and in our industry is now something that isn’t seen as a liability, but that wasn’t always the case and those of us from the early nineties who stuck to it really paved the way for the young South Asian actors today. I am proud of that and also acknowledge it was not always easy.
SSP: When was your first major role as an actor? And how did you get it?
KRL: I love this story. So I was at the end of the third year at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and because of a lot of high school credits I was set to graduate early, December of my senior year. So I decided I wanted to spend my final semester learning more about the business/industry side of things. I applied for an internship with a reputable manager and got the internship before summer break. I went to her office on the Upper East Side (I lived on the Upper West Side) and the moment I walked in she asked me if I had my head shot and resume with me. I did not. This was before we could just download the file. I didn’t even have a computer. So I had to go all the way back home to get a hardcopy…never left my apartment without one ever again after that. Ha! When I got back, on that very first day, she submitted me for a project at Yale Repertory Theatre. And… I booked it. My first Actors Equity job. I was able to take the semester off and go. It was the American Premiere of David Edgar’s PENTECOST and it was an incredible experience for which I received a lot of love. I had dreamed of going to Yale for grad school but after performing professionally on the same stage as Meryl Streep I decided I didn’t want to go to grad school. My life would have taken a much different path if I had, and I have no regrets about that decision. I finished the run and went back to NYU, interned with that manager for my final semester and graduated with my class.
SSP: When digging into a role, what is the biggest challenge to becoming the character?
KRL: I feel like we as actors, as people have ideas of how others should be or how we should be. It’s not my issue now but especially when I was younger I had a hard time allowing the character to reveal herself to me. I was impatient. But with age and experience I found sitting with the script and allowing myself the time to take it in gives me a lot of freedom. We also bring ourselves to our characters. The best auditions and best work, even when the character is nothing like you, still has a realness that can only come from being utterly yourself. When I was younger, as with so many of us, we are just trying to figure out who we are, and for me, when I got clearer about that for myself, it showed in my work. I’m very holistic in how I live my life so that made perfect sense to me and was fascinating to feel myself change and grow as a person and as an actor.
SSP: A star of both the stage and screen, which do you enjoy more? And why?
KRL: It depends. Ha! Early on I would have said stage without any hesitation, but now it’s about the work, the story, the people involved. In 2019 I starred Off-Broadway in a 2-hander by Rehana Lew Mirza called HATEFU*K with Sendhil Ramamurthy and after decades of doing incredible theater it was the first time I felt like I got to really dive in and create a character who was truly multi-dimensional and from there, there’s no turning back. I won’t take theatre roles that do not allow for that. That being said, I LOVE the theatre, to be on the stage, in front of a live audience, and the newness of each performance. So I hope more roles with depth come my way. As for the screen I’ve been working for decades and it’s always about striving to get to the next level. Sure I’ve grown as an actor and I bring who I am to each role, big or small, but the fruits of theatre are tasted sooner than with film/TV. That’s why I became a producer… so I could create instead of waiting around for roles.
SSP: How did you land the role of Reena Malhotra on THE SEX LIVES OF COLLEGE GIRLS by Mindy Kaling?
KRL: It was December of 2020 and I remember I received four self-tape auditions that weekend. One was for the role of another mom on Season 2 of Mindy Kaling’s other show, NEVER HAVE I EVER. That one just didn’t click for me, but when I taped Reena I felt really good about it. When playing the Indian mom it can get pretty stale because of how limited they are written, but it was obvious that Reena has a lot of humor because the audition sides were sooo good. It was exciting to see a character who wasn’t stuck in a stereotype. I don’t always get the roles for moms my age (I’m not really complaining. Hehe) so I figured I wouldn’t look the part, but I knew I felt connected to it. Before Christmas 2020 I learned that I booked it and shot my first scene on my birthday in January 2021.
SSP: How was Reena like you? And how was she different?
KRL: Well we both have 18 year old daughters, we both can be funny, we both sometimes don’t get the joke, and we both love our daughters with all we are and have. I understood deeply what it meant to acknowledge Bela’s dreams and also to want her to be safe and secure. How we are different is Reena is an immigrant who probably came here after marriage and I have lived here since I was a baby. My sensibilities as a mom are more Western and I don’t have an Indian accent. Oh and she has a lot more gray hair and lines on her face than I do. Ha!
SSP: What did you love about that character?
KRL: Her relationship with Bela. I absolutely adore Amrit Kaur and she very much became a second daughter to me this past year, and I do believe our closeness shows on screen.
SSP: What was the biggest challenge about taking on that role?
KRL: I’ll be honest at first I was intimidated by the folks I was working alongside. My TV husband, Mueen Jahan, is a dear friend from doing theatre together and Amrit and I connected even before we got started, so I felt comfortable on set. But working with Nicole Sullivan and Rob Huebel and Sherri Shepherd.. comedy greats; seeing Mindy Kaling do her thing on that very first day… I had to remind myself at times that I was there because I was meant to be. They were incredible to work with and I learned so much.
SSP: What’s been your favorite Reena moment?
KRL: That scene outside the restaurant at the end of Episode 6, “Parents Weekend.” Our rapport is real and I understand a mother’s love for her daughter and we just played this intimate and honest scene with each other.
SSP: What’s your favorite cast moment on THE SEX LIVES OF COLLEGE GIRLS?
KRL: This cast! Sooo hilarious. The table scene was so much fun. Watching Sherri and Rob go at it or Nicole just being brilliant. Each character was a riot. And we had a lot of fun. We also shot on the Vassar campus in June and we ALL, cast and crew, had to rush into a building because of lightning in the area. And hanging with the “parents” was a lot of fun. Awesome cast!
SSP: Has your career progressed as you have expected?
KRL: Expectations are a funny thing. Life almost never lines up with them. I always felt I would have more career success as I got older and that is true. I was raising my daughter and still acting, but I feel like the last year I have experienced a freedom to allow myself to do more since she no longer needs me in the same way. I never stopped to raise her but raising her was my priority. The progress over the last year has been incredible and I am excited to see how it unfolds.
SSP: What was the most important lesson you had to learn that has had a positive effect on your career? How did that lesson happen?
KRL: I am a very petite brown woman. From my 20’s I knew I wasn’t competing against anyone else and I would tell myself what is meant for me will be mine and what isn’t, won’t be. The stories of some of my bookings are so crazy that I know it to be true. It’s not at all easy to keep believing, especially in the lean years, but I taught this to my daughter too because I do believe it. That being said in the last couple of years I started to live this in a deeper way. With all I am I believe God/The Universe is opening doors I am meant to walk through and closing doors I am not meant to. And I do my part. My life circumstances were not the best for all of 2020 (yes besides a global pandemic) but that prayer kept me going. I am not unaffected by the ups and downs of this career and industry and the world and her pain and suffering, but I am not defined by them either. I feel more freedom to play and be myself. That has changed my life and career.
SSP: How do you seek out roles?
KRL: I have an incredible team. My manager Rikki Dale of Weiner Dale Management is one of the best people I know and I am with the awesome BRS Gage Talent Agency, the amazing Janet Tscha Talent for commercials and Arlene Thornton for voiceovers. I name them all because I’m so grateful for the opportunities they bring to me. I also have worked a lot in my career through word of mouth. Many projects came when friends who were much more successful than me couldn’t do a project and recommended me. It pays to do the work and be known for your work amongst your peers.
SSP: Who are your biggest influences?
As an actor, it feels cliché, but Meryl Streep. I wanted to go to Yale because of her and the trajectory of my career changed after performing on the same stage as her. I am also deeply influenced by the way people live their lives. I appreciate and am inspired by those who use their name for good because being of service has been important to me for my whole life.
SSP: What are personal attributes that make for a good Actor, and what do you do to foster them?
KRL: Perseverance. A willingness to be present to how you are feeling and being in the world so that you have access to vulnerability. Dedication to the truth. A lack of judgment. These are vital to me as a human being and so therefore as a parent and an actor. I personally have spent my entire adult life digging deep within myself to grow and learn and when I stopped trying so hard I found myself and this is the same with acting. Show up. Be present even when it’s uncomfortable. Tell the truth and have empathy.
SSP: In addition to acting, you also produce, under your own company, Art Heart Love Productions. What are you currently working on?
KRL: I’ve always loved producing and It’s been a dream of mine for over 10 years to have my own production company. I started AHL this year in order to produce my short film NOW AND NEVER based on the short play of the same name by Natalie Nicole Dressel. Directed by Kymberly Harris, I am one of the Producers alongside Rohi Mirza Pandya and Anu Hodges; and one of the executive producers, alongside Nick Rathod and Anu Hodges, and I star in the film playing all five characters. This by far is the best experience I have had as an actor on screen, but even more fulfilling because the whole thing is my baby. I am so proud of this majority woman team/crew which is LGBTQ+ inclusive and I cannot wait to share it with the world. It is a short film about one woman’s journey of mental health, loneliness, self-awareness and self-compassion, and as of this interview, we are a week or two away from completion.
SSP: Is the film business fair? Why or why not? How do you make the apparatus work for you?
KRL: No it is not fair. Life isn’t fair. Life is life. And how we perceive it and how we face it makes all the difference in how we experience it. When I was younger I was toxically positive… that’s how I made it work. I chose to pretend there was no barrier to me achieving my dreams, even as I saw the lack of representation and saw opportunities pass me by because they wanted a white actress. I pretended and it worked to the extent that I believed in me even if I didn’t believe in the industry. I no longer pretend. I face the industry and its bias straight on and I try to be a voice to show that while it’s getting better, it’s still not exactly fair, and we get to be a part of changing that. I believe we can move forward and create careers for ourselves by never giving up. I don’t know where I will be, or if so many people will ever know my name, but by doing the work because I love the work, and working on myself so that I am not defined by the work or lack of it, is how I live and move forward in my career.
SSP: What has been your greatest accomplishment as an actor?
KRL: I’m repeating myself but never giving up. My personal life took some harsh turns, and not just people, but my circumstances sometimes screamed for me to move on. But I am the woman I am and the mother I am because I kept going. I’ve mentioned this a lot because I think it’s important to reflect on and honor what we appreciate about ourselves. A tangible role would be my short film. I was tired of waiting for someone else to give me the opportunity to show what I can do and so I created the opportunity myself.
SSP: As a successful working actress, is there still any area in which you would like to improve as an actress?
KRL: Gosh I always want to go deeper and be as honest as I can be in each and every moment so I will continue to do the work on me, Kavi, that enables me to bring that to each role. I also want to read more scripts, just because there is so much value in reading plays and screenplays without having the attachment of knowing you are either trying to get the role or have already booked it.
SSP: From your entire body of work, which role did you love the most and why?
KRL: The experience of playing five characters in my short was tremendous because of the work, I and the director put in before-hand, but I think it would have be to Tunu in PENTECOST at Yale Rep. As I said it was my first professional job and it was the first time all my dreams felt real to me. It was a huge cast of 20, a spectacular play and my character only spoke once at a pivotal moment to tell a story about Lord Rama and Sita from the epic Ramayana. In the original script the role was written in Sinhalese (one of the languages of Sri Lanka). I do not speak that language, but I do know Malayalam which is the state language of Kerala, India so after I booked the role I had my mom help me translate it into Malayalam, and at the very first table read I asked playwright David Edgar if I could try it in my mother tongue. I did, he loved it and I believe after that made the character South Asian instead of specifically Sri Lankan. It wasn’t in the script, but I told the story in Malayalam while also using classical Indian dance imagery to illustrate. It felt like a dream to tell that story which had always meant so much to me, in my mother tongue on the Yale Rep stage and the role made an impact. The picture of me in motion was on nearly every press release and I was named a MVP for that year’s theatre season alongside actors like Giancarlo Esposito. It was my first taste of seeing how universal our specific stories can be. The whole experience inspired me to keep going no matter what.
SSP: What sort of acting roles will you be seeking in the future?
KRL: Good ones :). For me one of the most important things is to be able to play different roles.. to stretch and grow and tell unique stories. This was a year where every character I played was so different from the next. Including the five in my film I got to play nine very different roles. I’m currently shooting a recurring role on a Network Franchise Drama and it thrills me that the character is so different from Reena. I’d love to play the vixen, the bad girl, and the romantic lead. I want to play in a period piece, and be in an epic love story.
SSP: What sort of projects will you be producing?
KRL: Next up I’m developing a feature with one of my producing partners Anu Hodges. It’s an ensemble family comedy about a blended family of Desi/Black entertainers who, while caught up in their lives of being woke performers, take in a family of Afghan refugees to live in their basement duplex and learn to put their problems into unexpected perspective/the refugee family deals with issues such as PTSD and belonging. Ultimately it’s a story of family love and romantic love set against a backdrop of our very Western societal need to be politically correct and our individual need to tend to our deep ancestral, mental health.
I also am looking at biographies and I have a dream project based on a short story by Jhumpa Lahiri that I would love to get the rights to and make one day. I want to produce content that will amplify the unity in our diversity. We all feel deeply, struggle and love, and while our circumstances may be different, we are all human, and if we can embrace that about each other we can have a better shared experience.
SSP: When not on a set, what do you do in your spare time?
KRL: I didn’t watch a lot of TV this year, but this fall/winter when I have had time to watch I’ve been obsessed with Turkish television. In particular SEN ÇAL KAPIMI starring Kerem Bürsin and Hande Erçel, but honestly this year has been about making and finishing my film, a heck of a lot of fundraising, and really doing the work to stay mentally, emotionally and physically healthy. I also took some great naps this year:)
SSP: Are you on social media and do you use it in your work? Why or why not?
KRL: I am on social media.. Instagram and Facebook, and I still need someone to teach me Twitter. Ha! I don’t have a massive following, but I know those who follow me pay attention to what I say and I take that very seriously. I made a decision very early on in my social media journey to speak to things that are important to me. To be transparent while also respecting my own privacy. I wanted to be clear that who I am and what I value doesn’t change whether I am well known or not, and I have stuck to that. I’ll admit 2020 into 2021, it was difficult to share about my own life when I wanted to amplify the important issues both the U.S. and the world were facing. I get really invested and I had to step back from social media for a while this Fall to find the space for balance, so I can share what is important to me and also the things that I am up to, which is also important to me. As for using it in my work, I’m learning the importance of it, particularly with fundraising for my film, but I look forward to the day I can have others do that for me so I can focus on the work.
SSP: What would be a good theme song for your life?
KRL: Oh geez, I am so bad at remembering songs. But the score for my film composed by Samrat Chakrabarti and Chetz D reflects me deeply, so I’ll say that. The main character has a theme and when I hear it my heart skips a beat. I’m like, “Holy crap I have a theme!” So yeah, Harriet’s theme in NOW AND NEVER🙂
SSP: If someone was going to make your life into a movie, what would the title be and why?
KRL: SHE ALWAYS KNEW (and knew nothing at the same time).
I’ve wanted to be a mother since I was four years old. I’ve wanted to be an actor since I was five. I knew the kind of mother I wanted to be at 12, and at 15, that I wanted to have my daughter by the time I was 30. I had her 3 months shy of :). I knew the kind of success I yearned for would come later in my life and I’m still working towards that, even as it’s moving in that direction. So in a way I can see how I manifested so much of my life. BUT… I also know that my life has been filled to the brim with moments I didn’t see coming, moments I was humbled by, terrified by, and moments I never imagined possible. Like all of us. I took all these moments and grew from them. I am growing from them. I’ve always known who I was at a deep level, and felt my purpose from a young age, and acting was just a part of that… and the discovery of myself through life’s ups and downs has taught me I still have so much to learn, and I am ok with that.
Thank you Kavi for chatting with us today! You and your career are a true inspiration. We wish you continued success on your journey. And we can’t wait to see what you do next!
To keep up with Kavi, check out www.kaviladnier.com or follow her on Instagram: kaviladnier1111, Twitter: @KaviLadnier or Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kavi.r.ladnier.
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Until next time, live your passion and chase your dreams!
SSP
