Side Dish: More with Maitreyi Ramakrishnan

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1:04Omaha steaks makes it really easy to have something delicious on hand. Try the burger perfection flight at OmahaStakes.com today. That's 20 premium steak burgers for just $79.99 plus get $35 off with the promo code Jesse. C-Site for details. That's OmahaStakes.com promo code Jesse for $35 off a checkout. Terms apply. C-Site for details. I spend a lot of time thinking about what's coming into our house and with two kids, there is a lot coming into our house, especially laundry. I feel like I'm constantly buried under laundry, towels, sheets, clothes, the mysterious collection of socks that no longer seem to have matching partners. It's an endless cycle. So I've been trying to pay a little more attention to what I'm actually using in those everyday routines. That's how I found Blue Land. Blue Land makes household cleaning products designed to reduce single use plastic and I've been especially into their laundry tablets.

2:04They're pre-measured so there's no giant jug to lug around. You just drop a tablet directly into the drum and wash as usual. The tablets have a microplastic free formula made with plant and mineral-based cleaning ingredients and their hypoallergenic and safe for sensitive skin. And they actually handle the kind of laundry I have to deal with. Food stains, grass stains, all the evidence that children have been children. And fun fact, Blue Land is a certified B-Corp and leaping bunny cruelty-free certified. So if you're looking to make a small change in your routine, you can get 15% off your first order at blueland.com slash JTF. Hey, it's Jesse Tyler Ferguson. Here's a little side dish from this week's episode of Dinners On Me. This week I was at highly likely in Studio City with actor, my Treyi Ramakrishnan. Now you might know her as a star of Netflix's series Never Have I Ever and now she's starring in the Netflix film Best of the Best about the world of competitive Bollywood dance.

3:06Over breakfast burritos and Kyoto bowls, my Treyi discusses why she approaches every character she plays as if she's their defense lawyer. And the gratifying experience of hearing her own name announced on her Universal Studios tram tour. Now, to get back into the conversation, you're pulling up a chair as my Treyi walks me through the audition process for her breakout role in Netflix's Never Have I Ever. Do you remember, I'm just curious because you know, saying that you didn't have any acting experience, although you did play Val McEgale, which is a complicated layered role. But do you remember any sort of direction or was there notes that were getting given to you to adjust your performance? Into the audition? Yes. I remember just going in thinking whatever they say, try and be the answer to their puzzle in other question. I was so ready to pivot and change it up. I remember in the last audition though, because all in high school, we kept it light and

4:06breezy. We did like funny plays and musicals. So one of the last scenes during the last round of audition was a very sad one, where I'm like grieving my dad. Yes. And I'm asking my mother like, hey, am I a bad daughter because I'm forgetting my dad? He looks like, you know, that is important to me. And I've never done that kind of thing before. I'm used to making people laugh. And I did it the scene and it was okay, right? And then Lang Fisher, other showrunner to Midi Kaling said like, okay, I want you to do that again. Just take a breath. Don't worry about like the time, but I just want your heart to feel heavy. I want you to show me what it feels like when your heart is so physically heavy in your chest. And something about that note just hit. I like took my second and I was like, okay, like, and I just started the scene. And I felt my heart physically feel heavy to a point that I was doing the scene. I knew my lines like, you know, tattooed in my brain. But I just kind of stopped talking midway through the scene because I got that sad.

5:09I don't know what clicked. And then I was like, oh, my God. I'm so sorry, my bad. And they're like, no, no, that's perfect. Just go again from the top. That was perfect. And I was like, okay, and I did it again. And I just felt the room go from like, ha ha, he, he, in the beginning half where they're all like, you know, oh, my God, my trace will probably look this young, 17 year old like brat. Yeah. They were just, you know, and I was like, oh, and I didn't know what that meant at the time. I was like, okay, well goodbye. Bye now. Thanks for hanging out with me. Did it feel like you like tapped into like the power of like a truthful moment? Yes. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. If you recognize that it was a good thing. Now that I look back, I think what happened was I just really did feel like, oh, I'm so dialed into this character and what it feels to empathize with this girl. And though I never went to school for like acting and never had like formal training, all the time I'd be asked, like, what's your method? Like, what's your process? And I'm not a very book smart actor.

6:10Like I don't write my shit out. I keep it all in my head, which I don't know. I don't know how long it's going to serve me. I don't know, man. I think, listen, I don't either. And I'm, I'm well in this industry and I feel like I keep working. You're killing it. You're killing it. I just feel like when you put to many notes in the margin of like what your intention is, just like you get, I personally get way down by the way. I get too locked in. Yeah, yeah. Too locked in and then I'm not flexible to what a director wants or what like my team partner might throw at me. Because like, you know, I want to mix. But my process when it comes to characters, now how I describe it is I have to be my character's best defense lawyer. Even if my character is going to do something bad, I need to explain to the jury, even though they're going to say she's guilty, I need to just explain to the jury. Like why she did it? Right, right. You know, Vellan, let her stand. She killed him. But let me explain to you why. It's character protection. Exactly. You know, it's like you have to love through your play. Exactly, love through your play. You can then like, be the defense lawyer to care for.

7:11That's my favorite in for like, Vellan. So it's like, they have a reason for being horrible. Yes, yes, yes. Even though it might not be a valid like, you know, or a great reason, it's real to them. Yeah. You know, and trying to find that. Yeah. Then you get people to root for you or at least understand your character, even if they hate you. Yeah. They respect this character as a real person. Yeah. You know? Yeah. And I'm like, I could be egregious as a character, but it makes sense. But that's kind of my vibe. Now for a quick break, but don't go away. When we come back, my tray and I talk about her relationship with LA and what it was like learning to navigate New York City subway. Okay, be right back. We've been doing a lot of traveling as a family lately. I just wrapped up my run as King Herod and Jesus Christ Superstar in London. And then afterwards, we escaped to the coast of Spain for a few days, which was great.

8:16Back at Insoli have basically become these little beach kids. And you know, I'm doing what I do best, which is finding the nearest umbrella and aggressively avoiding the sun. Now as nice as it is to get away, I always have that moment where I think, well, you know, while we're away making new memories, our house is just sitting there empty, which got me thinking, if you're traveling this summer, you can make your space work for you and listed on Airbnb. Why not give someone else a cozy home away from home while they travel and make a little extra cash in the process? And if you've ever thought, okay, no, that sounds like way too much work. Airbnb has made it a lot easier with our co-host network. It's a network of experienced local hosts who can help take care of everything from prepping your home to welcoming guests. So you don't have to do it all yourself. It's a pretty smart way to make the most of your home while you're off making memories somewhere else. Find a co-host at airbnb.com slash host.

9:17It's 7.40 am. Time for some ready-pants vitamins. First, someone's shoes are missing. A lunchbox needs packing. A form needs signing. When back to school feels like 100 moving pieces, smarty pants vitamins is one easy part of their team. Smartypants Kids Plus Multi-Anomegas supports brain health and delivers 33% more nutrients than the next leading product. No wonder it's the number one best-selling Kids Gummi Multi-Vitamin. Shop Smartypants Vitamins at Amazon Target or Walmart. And we're back with more dinners on me. I'm just so jealous that you got dropped off. You don't live here, right? Okay, so you're just here for a press. I love being driven places and just dropped off. Yeah, I will say it's nice. It's quite nice. I can't wait. But are you still living Canada? Yeah, from one side. Okay. And what is your relationship with LA? I mean. See, so I only was here for work for the beginning. I was not here.

10:18My first time being in LA was for the job. And then I only really come for work. But at first I was like, I don't know if I really like it. Because I have no friends and I have no family here at that time. And then I built my community. And now that I have my people, I really like it. Because of the people. I think when you also make friends that know the restaurants to go to and the fun places to hang out that are not just a wrap party. I can be inside her. Yeah, like information. Yeah, not just someone's restaurant recommendation because they want their wrap party. Yeah. Like actually good food or good places to hang. Then it's like, okay, we're vibes. Yeah. Now I like it. I enjoy it now. I also came to LA because of work. Okay. And I didn't really want to come here. Where are you coming from? New York. I was in the theater head. It's like I did, you know, on stage stuff. And then I did a TV show, not Modern Family, something before that. And I was like put up in a hotel like in Studio City. And I remember like trying to connect with someone my other cast members from that here.

11:20And I was like being given instructions on how to get from one neighborhood to another. Oh, a lot. And like in my mind, everything's like super close. Yeah. Not realizing like New York subway. Exactly. Oh my God, totally different. Yeah. So like going from you know, Studio City to like Santa Monica, it was a whole like, it's like going to Studio City. It's a mission. You have to commit. It's like what number of the exits like an Albuquerque New Mexico, I grew up like we got to like, like exit to a four. And then like we don't number our exits. Like they were so. Wow. See, I like, I just recently spent a proper chunk of time in New York. Yeah. Then I only went to New York for press, like doing like the late night circuit or whatever. But I actually had a project there that like let me be there for four months. Oh nice. And I really liked it. Where did you say what neighborhood? Well, I was technically in Jersey, but Jersey City. What's with the old Santa? Yeah. But I would literally take just right in front of my apartment. A one minute walk was like the train leading me straight to like the World Trade Center. Yeah. And I was like, oh, this is great.

12:20So I spent a lot of time more in New York, but I will never forget like the first anxiety is that taking the subway and then feeling like, wait, I can do this. Yeah. And then they went back to like whatever press trip or whatever my friends. And I was like, wait, did I lose like the subway touch? And then I was okay. Yeah. I was okay. And this is like unmatched level of independent. I know. It's like when you get your license for the first time and you know anywhere, that's how I feel about the subway. Yeah, that's me at back home in like Mississauga, where I'm from. I'm a suburban kid. So you have to drive. Yeah. You don't have to drive or you're like, or know someone who drives. Right. Make them your driver friends. Right, right, right, right. But you enjoy Toronto. Well. The Toronto side. Toronto side. It's like Canada is just so big that. I know. This is a very good way to get inside the Toronto side. What do we call a middle? No man's land. Truly no man's land. Whatever the hotel is. It's like the middle of Australia. Whatever the hotel is. Don't want to be in the middle of Australia. No, truly. It's like right. Huh. The middle. Alberta. Yeah, I guess.

13:21Calgary I guess. Yeah. I just had time in trying to do something. It's like, you know, the only time I ever got there is the film. I don't have to. I have to. It's nice. It's like smaller New York. Like much much much smaller. New. Yeah. You guys in New York, it's actually quite big and there's all the different like birds. But Toronto you can get to like, you know, either side and back easily. Yeah. Yeah. But we also don't have the transportation system you guys have. Yeah. Our transportation system is not nearly as great. But I like Toronto. Now for a quick break but don't go away. When we come back my tray reveals which iconic actress and friend of this podcast she calls Mother. And we hear the hilarious story of Universal Studios tour guide who knew more about her show than she did. Okay. Be right back. One thing I've learned about having a home that you really love is that sometimes even the smallest thing makes a room feel, oh, not quite right. And for me, that's often been the rug.

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15:27And we're back with more dinners on me. We just had Sandra O on the podcast when I was in London and she's a dear friend and I love her so much. And she spoke about how encouraged she was by just how many stories are being told. There's sort of an this original sense moment. The Asian story is being told on television and film. And I know you two work together. She's mother. Sandra O is mother. That's Canada's mother right there. I know. Oh yeah, but Canadian too. That's Canada's mother right there. But the movie is a scene was it seeing red. Yeah, turning red turning red. I think when the UK they call it seeing red or like it's interesting. Oh really? It's like one of those situations. There's like another it's like a zootopia zootropolis. Yes. Where it's like a regional. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Turning red. Oh, come on. We were just in Spain and we went by billboard and noana was called something completely different. Oh.

16:28And our friend who is from Spain she was like, yeah, Moana like means something like it's not good here. I was like, she wouldn't even tell me what it meant. I'm like, yeah. I'm going there. Yeah. Yeah, anyway. Google at home folks. Yeah, yeah, Google it. Yeah. But my kids introduced me to turning red. Yeah. And it's such a great, great thumb. But like what I was noticing when I was like kind of looking at your, I mean. What you've accomplished already in your 24 years is a professional actor like, you know, between never have I ever, best of the best. A turning red like there's this this through line of like coming of age. That is like kind of present in all these stories. Yeah. And I'm certainly is probably is you know, a moment in your time because you're going to get to a point where like you literally outgrow. Yeah. The coming of the brown. The brown, the brown doesn't brown just yet.

17:28But there will be a time where I will age like fine one. Yeah. You know, it's okay. I used to like kind of crash out a bit. I was like, I do all these casting directors are saying, I look too young to play this part. Well, I want to be older and then my writer friend was like my tray. The older roles will always be there. Yeah. Enjoy it while you have it. Because then once you are there, you can't go back. Yeah. And I'm like, very enough. Very, you know, but there is a through line of like coming of age. Yeah. Yeah, there is. But I think people come of age. I think the reason why coming of age stories work so well too is because people kind of come of age multiple times in their life. You know, I don't think coming of age is something that happens just once and you know, one and done. We're turning red. Is a movie about me, me, you know, our main girl coming of age, but also kind of her mother at the same time. Like that bamboo forest scene where you realize like, oh, she's also, it's the moment when you realize, oh, your parents are also just having their first time at life as well. It's like, oh, you actually also have no idea what you're doing. You don't have all the answers, but you're my parent.

18:29You're supposed to know everything and you're like, oh, you're also like, my mom is literally just a girl. She's just a girl. She's fingering it out too. That's literally the point of turning red. Your mother is also just a girl. She's trying her first time at life. Just give her a little bit of grace if you can. So true. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I'm realizing that in real time as a dad now, I have a three-year-old, a six-year-old and just every month. It feels like I'm in this other phase. I'm like, where's a handbook for this phase? Because I have no idea what's going on. I do not, I yelled at my three-year-old this morning because he was frustrated. He was doing that thing where like, he tried to stand him up and he just like has rubber legs. And I was like, it was really pissing me off and he was laughing about it. And it just like... You got rage-bedded. I got rage-bedded. You were dumb. Yeah. I literally sit at one point and I'm like, listen to myself. I'm like, yeah, I would be laughing too. I was like, I am your papa. Yeah. Uh-huh. Of course he was laughing at me because that's ridiculous. And get ready for a couple more decades of that. Oh.

19:30You're like, don't say that. No, get ready. I know. There's way more rage-bedded to come. Way more than rubber legs. Oh, yeah. You're going to pray for the rubber legs days. You're going to be like, can you just flop over again? Flop over. So much easier. Yeah. So harmless. But like, that's your coming-of-age moment too. Yeah. Where you're also just kind of crashing out like a teenager being like, stop it. Stop. Really? You know? I was so mad at myself for getting angry at him. Mm-hmm. Yeah. But that is funny though. Yeah. A good rubber leg. I ducked them good. Physical comedy. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Exactly. Exactly. They praise Charlie Jafflin when he did it. I see. Charlie. Charlie. So you're here in LA for a little while. What else do you have planned while you're here? Are you going to see, are you going to another house tour? More celebrity bus tours. I did spontaneously go to Universal Studios with my friend.

20:31OK. I haven't been, that was like 10. Yeah, and I was like, we got to go. It was like an hour and a half left of the park opening. Yeah. And I was like, no, we got to go. It's the greatest. It's a big thing. And it's so close. It's so close. It's smack in the middle of LA. But I'm also so nostalgic for it because that's where we shot, never have I ever. All right. I wanted to show my friend the back lot tour because on a story that I just remembered last week because we went to Universal Studios, the way I found out about the name of the show, never have I ever, was because of the tram tour. So Mindy and season one, I was 17, working my butt off, and I had one day off. And Mindy was like, I'm going to buy you tickets to, not even, I wasn't even day off, it was the weekend. And my friend who sent me the tweet was visiting me in LA. And Mindy bought us tickets. And my mom, my brother, my best TNI, to go to Universal Studios. I've never been, right? And she's like, go treat yourself, have fun, and it was super sweet of her. So we go on the weekend and I am grilled. I'm like, oh my god, this is amazing. We don't have theme parts like that in Canada.

21:31Yeah, yeah. I'm so excited. And then I see that they do tram tours of like the back lot. And I'm like, yo, guys, we gotta go. I wanted to show my best friend like, yo, this is like where I worked a little bit. So we go around the tram tour. And they take us up to the back lot with Stereolane, where they have like the Desperate Housewives and all that. And you know, the tour guide goes, you know, if you look, see you're right and you're left on the street, you'll see the houses that are familiar from the show Desperate Housewives blah, blah, blah, blah. And I'm like, showing my friend, I'm like, yo, Shahara, like, that's my house, that's like Davies out there, blah, blah. And then the tour guide operator goes, well, are there any fans of Mindy Kaling, any fans of the office here? And then I was like, oh, cool, yeah. And then, because like, you know, show is not even out yet. Season one, no one knows what the fuck I am. And like, yeah, any fans of the office, Mindy Kaling, well Mindy Kaling's new show, and at the time we were calling it untitled Kaling Fisher project, right? Untitled YA Netflix Kaling Fisher over to the law. And like, well, Mindy Kaling's new show never have I ever.

22:33And I was like, just name the first show. Hold the fuck. Hold my first show. You were like, does she have another show? No, I'm not. I was like, wait a minute. Who else lives here? No, I was like, holy fuck. Like, that's the name of our future show. That's interesting. I literally as a tourist, with the people, I found out the name of the show. I locked that story. Right? I went back to set that Monday. I was like, guys, guys, guys, I found out the name of the show. The show's never have I ever. What a great acronym. And each IE. So marketable. So amazing. I wonder what font they're going to use. This is so smart. It makes sense. TV's doing so many things that she's never done before. And then Lang is like the show running. Fisher goes, oh, OK, so cats out of the bag, everyone. I guess your phone is a good guide. Yeah, Lang was not at me, but it was just like, OK, so yeah, the name of the show's going to be never have I ever. That is so clever. Thank you, my treat. But also, how did that guy find out? I don't know. Inside information. Inside information.

23:34It's that Universal Studios insider info. I mean, it wasn't very well-intacted if you asked me. Clearly not. Clearly not. I remember going back to Universal Studios a couple years later. Maybe we were season three or like season four each time. And I went with my cousin. And this time I'm in Cognito. Sometimes I'll be extra. I put a wig on, I had a cab. I got my cosplay, big lashes, makeup. So people like, well, recognize me. And it worked. OK. It was extra, but it worked. And we go, can I watch your my cousin? Like, this is where I work. But blah, blah, blah. I mean, you'd be like, glad is from what's the movie. What was the movie, Gladys was in? Weapons. Yeah. That was essentially me. I was glad. OK. I was glad it's at the back of the tram. OK. Giving people a secondary tour. In case they weren't really engaged or vibing with the real tour guide. You could listen to my fun facts on the side. And I was like, to my cousin, my girl, this is where I lived. And then it was like, oh, if there's any fans of Never Have I Ever,

24:35my true Ramakrishnan's house is here. And that was a moment where as someone with a 20-letter long name, and I love my name, because in every after credits, like all the credits at the end of a movie, it always sticks out extra long. You know where she is? You'll find her. That's why I have Jesse Tyler Ferguson. Yeah. You'll find her. You'll find her. But it was just like a moment where they went from like thing, like, oh, Mindy Kailings, New Show, Never Have I Ever To. Never have I ever starring my true Ramakrishnan. They said my name like correctly. Wow. And people on the bus were like, yeah, we all made sure you're so cool. That's so cool. And that was just a really nice moment to see that in a place like Universal Studios, where there's these families that are, you know, they are on a vacation. Like, you know, it's a privilege thing to do, right? It's a treat. Yeah. My long, brown, thermal name is a part of that treat. Yeah. It's similarly to how there's like a marquee Netflix billboard here in LA. Like, you know, they change it up every so often.

25:37And, you know, the other seasons earlier, the billboard would be like team Ben or team Haxden. But for season four, the billboard just said, never have I ever not loved my tray, Ramakrishnan. And it was my whole name on this billboard. And that was a moment of like, that's cool. No, literally sunset full of art. And just having my full name there, I was like, wow, that's cool. I don't care about seeing my face. My name, I was like, that, that's cool to just see a long, thermal, like last name for a name. That was cool. Yeah. Sorry, those are really good tangent. You can't give me food and expect me to stay on top it. I'm too chill. I can't be doing this. I can't stay on topic and answer a question. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. That all came from what else you could do while you're in LA. I'm up there. I'm, yeah, literally what the fuck? No, you're great. Um, listen. I'm going to go to do par as well. I'm going to go with Mindy. There you go. That's my favorite. You're seeing her today. Yes.

26:38Okay. We must tell her I said, hot. I will 100%. Yeah. With the two bars girly. Yeah. Good. Mindy and I are going to go get some fat pancakes. Nice. Fat the vibes. Good little catch up. You know, with my OG Fairy Godmother. Yes. Change my life. That was a little more from my conversation with my tray, Rama Krishnan. If you haven't heard our full conversation yet, make sure to check it out on dinners on me. This episode of dinners on me was recorded at a highly likely in Studio City Los Angeles. Next week on dinners on me, you know him from the White Lotus, Silo and Reality Bites, and he's starring in the Hulu series Chad Powers. Now out with its second season, it steves on. We'll talk about his decisions to race his kid outside the Hollywood bubble in Kentucky, and what it's been like to work alongside his daughter in a project very personal to him. That's some behind the scene tidbits about filming that first season of the White Lotus. Dinner on me is a production of Sony Music Entertainment and a kid named Beckett Productions.

27:40It's hosted by me, Jesse Tyler Ferguson. It's executive produced by me and Jonathan Hirsch. Our showrunner is Joanna Clay. Our associate producer is Alyssa Midcalf. Sam Barrett engineered this episode. Hans Dail Shee composed our theme music, special thanks to Tamika Balant's Kalasni and Justin Makita. I'm Jesse Tyler Ferguson. Join me next week. When fall comes back around, there's a sense of a reset. And new pieces from Lululemon's fall drop are an inspiration to push your goals and elevate your routines. As your calendar fills, easy to layer styles meet the demands of your day. And as you challenge yourself to try even more, versatile sets transition with you. The Lululemon fall lineup brings new levels of comfort and confidence. Whether you're starting something fresh or starting something over, check out the latest arrivals in store and on Lululemon.com now.