IN CONVERSATION WITH SUNITA MANI

interview by JANA LETONJA

Sunita Mani stars alongside Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega in the A24 comedy horror film ‘Death of a Unicorn.’ Next up, she can be seen in ‘A Nice Indian Boy’, releasing on 4th April via Blue Harbor Entertainment, and in the Apple TV+’s series ‘Government Cheese’, premiering on 16th April. Also upcoming, her film ‘The Roses,’ directed by Jay Roach and starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Olivia Colman, Kate McKinnon, and Andy Samberg, will be released theatrically by Searchlight Pictures on 29th August. It’s a reimagining of the 1989 classic THE WAR OF THE ROSES based on the novel by Warren Adler. Later in the year, we’ll also be seeing her in Netflix’s limited series ‘His & Hers’.

You’re starring alongside Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega in ‘Death of a Unicorn’, which sounds like a fun and unique role. What drew you to this black comedy and what can you share with us about your character’s story in it?

This project was so fun and this cast is so great. Yes, I had a front row seat to Paul and Jenna’s mega talent. They both have such a collaborative, engaging spirit. Paul is so exceptionally funny, he’s in so many of my favorite movies. Shooting this film felt like theatre camp at times, rehearsing big group scenes, transported by immersive sets and the practical magic of full-scale unicorn puppetry. For me, it was also uniquely interesting tuning into everyone’s amazing character frequencies so I could be additive and specific with my own. At some point in the casting process, I learned that the role of Dr. Bhatia was written with me in mind, so I’m forever grateful to Alex Scharfman, our director, for that. He had seen an indie I was in, called ‘Save Yourselves’. 

But initially, I got the audition and script in my inbox per usual and I just couldn’t stop reading the script. I loved it. Silly and absurd jokes perfectly peppered in, ridiculous situations that gave me a laugh-cry feeling. It’s a fun satire that I thought worked on both metaphorical and literal levels. I saw a complex opportunity in my role to play up some physical comedy and really commit to those juicy laugh-cry moments. Bhatia is stuck in the middle of the family drama as a pharma-lab employee to the ultra-rich Leopold’s, so there’s an intriguing conflict I could work with as she’s both taking pride in her job, while also banging her head against the wall. There is a shocking turning point in Bhatia’s story that I won’t spoil, but I am devilishly excited for audiences to experience it.

This film is premiering at SXSW before its theatrical release. How does it feel to be a part of such a prestigious festival, and what are you most excited to share with audiences at SXSW?

It feels incredible. I love film festivals. It’s so great to celebrate with the filmmaking community. I’ve looked to SXSW as a tastemaker festival and one that strongly supports indie films and filmmakers. Debuting in front of a large crowd for this one feels essential. It needs to be seen in a theatre so you can audibly gasp and laugh and squeal. I think you’ll want to be loud when you watch it. I think an audience viewing a film as a community really completes the process. It helps the movie become what it is. It totally breathes new life into it.

You’ve really built an incredible range of roles over the years. How do you approach choosing your next project? What excites you the most when you look at a script? 

I do love this job and I’m really open to what comes my way. In general, I have a consistent craving for the opportunity to really dive into and give more of my whole self to a project. I can’t predict what the next thing will be though. Sometimes, I feel like I’m standing around with a sign that says “For Hire Pick Me Please.” And I don’t mind admitting that because I think we all feel that way in this industry. And that can’t rule you, so after a while, it becomes more about trusting your gut. 

I’m working on my own writing. I do feel like it’s been a long road of proving I can do the job, and being selective has been important to me. I think the range and the approach comes from feeling a responsibility, for better or worse, to remain staunchly true to some kind of personal authenticity while staying tied to elevating my South Asian community on-screen. I think “Is this role dignifying me and my South Asian community? Can I pull this character off truthfully, without compromising my personal creative spirit? How will I rise to this opportunity in a way that I haven’t before?” And that sense comes from the script. I look for a strong connection to the page and the character on the page. What the message or the commentary is. I get excited when I can feel the tone or the world of the film, when the dialogue is delicious and fluid. I’m even excited sometimes by what I don’t understand. Like, what is this I’m reading? I can often be drawn to what’s outside the box to show a different side of myself or add dimension and representation on-screen. 

In the past, I’ve felt a burden of representation more, both as a blessing and a curse, and I was so aware of how I might reflect back on my community or “check a box” as a diversity hire. So part of me is extra tuned into specificity, weirdness, and a rebellion against category or the expected. And sometimes, convention feels unexpected. It’s just a feeling. I think I’ve curated an intuition because I’ve felt like an outsider-misfit for a lot of my lived experience. So, I lean into it. I can’t help it. I’ve said “no” to lots of different things because it just didn’t feel right, but I suppose that only matters to me and the mirror on the wall.

Can you tell us about a specific moment in your career that was a major turning point for you as an actress?

I’ve had so many little encouraging signs from the universe to keep going, which just feels so huge. My acting school has been on the job and I’m so grateful for that. But I’d say it felt like a major turning point when I was cast in ‘Glow’ as Arthie Premkumar. I hadn’t played an Indian-American woman before. The clarity of that fact felt huge. Her name just hit me so specifically and I hadn’t been connected to that feeling before. I believe that feeling is what they call empowerment. It felt major to play a character who had a lived experience so very close to my own. And I got to be so physical and ridiculous, which feels very close to my love for dance and comedy. That show was such a smartly crafted feminist circus. I got to play with the idea of checking a box and playing outside the box simultaneously. It really cemented a palette for my sensibilities that other projects had to live up to.

How has your creative process evolved as you’ve taken on more diverse roles? 

I know it sounds bad, but I think I used to believe self-sabotage was cool. I had such fear of success, I would make it harder for myself to succeed. And then if I felt like I failed, I could tell myself “Well, you had all those problems, so that’s why.” I would always try my hardest, but I’d also feel conflicted about the space I was taking up and I would feel like I did too much or too little with an opportunity. But at a certain point, I’ve evolved to talk to myself differently and I know I’m hired because I have something to offer. Prep for a role includes treating myself more like the sensitive little instrument that is in love with the art and in tune with her surroundings. The importance of clearing out space mentally and physically to allow things to surface in order to inhabit a character has become more clear and important to me. The tools will come to the surface if I trust that I have them. It helps me have perspective on how I can service the story too, whether it’s something serious or not so serious.

You’ll also be starring in ‘A Nice Indian Boy’. How does this film resonate with you personally, especially in today’s climate where stories about identity and culture are being told with more focus and authenticity?

I’m so happy about this film. It aims to be a bit more broad and mainstream to reach audiences who aren’t familiar with Indian culture at all, and also reach a broad base of South Asians who can totally relate. I know it’s cheesy, but I think it’s so courageous to aim to do this, while incidentally creating a progressive benchmark. Socially, we’ve made steps towards equality and dignifying queer communities, but we’ve got such a long way to go. But honestly, as much as this movie can resonate with, let’s say, a majority white audience, I’m really looking forward to the impact it makes on our South Asian community.

The characters in ‘A Nice Indian Boy’ are written in a way that actually authenticates Indian stereotypes to serve the story in a sort of mundane, revolutionary way. It was a no-brainer to get involved with this team, Karan Soni and Roshan Sethi specifically. I love Karan’s work so much, he’s so charming and funny. He really cares about comedy and quality. Personally, I feel very connected to Roshan’s story, which this movie is inspired by. As a first-gen Indian American kid, I come from a tight-knit Indian diaspora and a culturally traditional Hindu household. I can totally relate to how difficult it would be to articulate queerness and romantic love and wanting to live and marry outside of your parent’s cultural expectations. I think there are more examples than not in our traditions that deeply prepare you for the worst if you are not heteronormative. And not necessarily in the typical way, which is what this movie shows us. I think it’s scary and painful to have to break out of those family expectations, yet we do it. Making this movie was so personal for Roshan and it’s kind of wild how specific yet universal it is. 

In ‘Government Cheese’, you’ll be playing a spiritual guide. How does your character contribute to the humor, and did you approach it any differently than you might a more traditional comedic role?

This role was so fun to play. I was really excited by the assignment which felt like animate this character to near cartoon level of delight and physicality. Thank you Paul Hunter, the writer and creator. I entered the role kind of last minute and it was both thrilling and a bit daunting. David Oyelowo, who plays the main character Hampton, had a huge impact on creating a sense of comfort and freedom for me to play within the role. He was so generous, looked out for me, and really made me feel like I could take up the space I needed to give this character that extra spunk. I think my character’s joy is so off-putting in the eyes of Hampton, he can’t help but laugh. Edith, my character, is leading Hampton through the episode so she has a lot of dialogue mixed with action. I learned how to shoot a bow and arrow, while also trying to deliver some nuggets of wisdom. It was a balancing act and I had fun approaching her as a dancer, really. Letting the language become music and then kind of finding a rhythm to highlight comedic beats.

Later this year, you’re also joining ‘His & Hers’ for Netflix. What attracted you to this limited series, and what can we expect from your role?

It was the opportunity to work with the director William Oldroyd, Tessa Thompson and Jon

Bernthal. They were attached by the time I auditioned, and I just had a sense that the series would be classy and it would have an intentional aesthetic and mood about it because of them, also based on the pilot script I read. I’m a fan of all of those folks. The suspenseful crime genre in the hands of this team is one that I was excited to explore as an actor. I also enjoyed my character’s lens on the world of the show, a bit of an eager outsider with unexpected instincts. I played rookie detective Priya Patel and I was mostly rolling with the lead detective on the case played by Jon Bernthal. Our partnership is an unusual dynamic that I think creates an odd levity in the series.

As a South Asian actress, do you feel the industry is making strides toward better representation, and how does it feel to be a part of projects that feature diverse talent and perspectives?

This is a tough one. Sadly, I think the overarching feeling for me is that the idea of representation is deeply connected to its money making potential. Sometimes it’s confusing when it comes to my own self-worth, but I’m trying to be aware of it. I think that’s part of what I’m interfacing with in the industry at large. I mean, we’re also still recovering from Covid and the strikes, so there are so many things that could use better representation in our industry. I think my feeling comes more from the time we’re living in politically in America. I can’t help but connect my industry to larger systems at play that are crumbling while also reminding me that they are not designed to see my full humanity. Cynical? I don’t know. I think it helps me not take it personally, and repeatedly seek out people and projects, like ones that I’ve been a part of, that feel like the antidote to this conundrum. We find each other. Of course, not every company or job exudes such a “but what about our bottom-line” philosophy, and I feel so lucky to be a part of projects that feel so holistically amazing and actively working to change the system top down. Wouldn’t want it any other way. 

Honestly, it doesn’t even seem that complicated. It’s like the diverse talent and perspective is directly attached to the enthusiasm to create an authentic story. That’s the driving force. And yes, it feels like sometimes that force doesn’t always get the momentum to see the light of day or the funding. I truly believe representation is about lifting each other up across the board, making space to thrive in, instead of acting from a scarcity mentality as black and brown artists. And that’s energetically important to my soul.

Finally, with such an exciting slate of projects ahead, what’s next for you? How do you see your career evolving in the next few years?

I’m excited to share the fruits of the labor, that I hope people enjoy. I’m currently working on a TV show. I’m writing and co-creating with a wonderful team. I’d also love to direct some day, and I have a feature film idea that is so nascent. But I think evolving into roles behind and in front of the camera is where I’d like to go.

photography TOMMY AGRIODIMAS