Mindy Kaling reveals why she took a step back from acting
Mindy Kaling stepped away from acting for a bit, but now, she's ready to run point on screen.
The 45-year-old starred as Kelly Kapoor in the NBC sitcom 'The Office' for eight seasons from 2005 to 2013. From there, Kaling garnered a slew of iconic roles including her own show 'The Mindy Project' which aired a six season run from 2012 to 2017.
After starting her own production company called Kaling International in 2012, she spearheaded the comedy 'Never Have I Ever' which was a Netflix hit for four seasons before ending in 2023.
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7 Mindy Kaling poses on Instagram.
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Now, the 'Inside Out' vet is explaining why she stepped back from the screen.
'A show literally about an Indian American family in Southern California, and if I wasn't on that—what's wrong with me?' Kaling told The Hollywood Reporter on Thursday. 'I think there is a part of me that feels a little superstitious. I'm like, 'these seem to have gone well and I'm not in them so maybe I'll wait.' '
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These days, the actress is ready to get back in front of the camera.
7 Mindy Kaling's Netflix series, 'Never Have I Ever.'
©Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collection
'I miss it,' admitted Kaling. 'I would like to write or co-create a show for me to act in soon.'
Although the 'Late Night' alum didn't elaborate on what kind of project she sees herself in, she did note she'd love to act and direct it.
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As Kaling put it, doing both is 'unbelievably fun and it's so efficient.' The last time she did so was on 'The Mindy Project.'
7 Mindy Kaling in 'Late Night.'
©Amazon/Courtesy Everett Collection / Everett Collection
'I would love to do that again,' she went on. 'That's the thing that maybe in the next couple of years, when I launch a couple of other things that are earlier in the pipeline, that would be something that would be fun to do again.'
Kaling's latest co-creation was the Netflix sports comedy 'Running Point' – which debuted in February and starred Kate Hudson, Brenda Song, Chet Hanks, Max Greenfield, Drew Tarver, Scott MacArthur and Justin Theroux.
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The businesswoman executive-produced the 10 episode series, which was recently renewed for season two.
7 Mindy Kaling and Chris Messina in 'The Mindy Project.'
©20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection
Kaling also spoke to the outlet about keeping her production company smaller.
'Here's my thing. I have worked on many different platforms and it's not just about the money, but more often than not, the money represents real enthusiasm,' she shared. 'Sometimes it doesn't; sometimes I've done stuff for less money because the people seem so excited, like on the Zoom after the pitch.'
'The problem is that people are switching their jobs quickly that for me, I don't think there's been an instance where the person I sold a show, to that team has stayed intact for two years. Executives are moving constantly up and so to me, I never get too married to a creative team.'
7 'Inside Out' starring: Phyllis Smith as Sadness, Lewis Black as Anger, Bill Hader as Fear Mindy Kaling as Disgust and Amy Poheler as Joy.
©Walt Disney Co./Courtesy Everett Collection
When it came to working with Kaling on 'Running Point,' the show's star had nothing but praise for the mom-of-two.
In May, Hudson, 46 said during a panel at an Emmy FYC event, per People: 'I have to say, I've fallen in love with this woman. And she's just not only so brilliant, but so trusting … she puts the best team together.'
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'And she was pregnant,' the singer expressed. 'We had a script, like our first table read. She's on Zoom. She then has the baby and is sending notes, like an hour after she has the baby. I was like, 'Isn't Mindy literally in labor?' She is a powerhouse and delivers what she says she's going to deliver.'
7 Kate Hudson and Mindy Kaling.
mindykaling/Instagram
7 Mindy Kaling announced her desire to get back to acting.
Instagram/@mindykaling
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With season two around the corner, Kaling teased what fans are in store for while talking to E! News on Thursday.
'Season two is so good,' she gushed. 'We hit the ground running. There is so much – can I say this? There's jut so much romance and sex and fun screaming arguments about basketball which is all anybody wants to see.
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At this point, Mindy Kaling is an undeniable multihyphenate. From Never Have I Ever and The Sex Lives of College Girls to Velma and Running Point, it honestly feels like we've gotten a show that she's created or written every time we switch on our TVs. Mindy's been so ever-present behind the scenes that it's honestly been easy to forget that we were all introduced to her as an actor — especially in the classic NBC TV show The Office (which, to be clear, she also wrote for). These days, however, Mindy isn't in front of the camera all that often. She's done some voice work on Velma and Monsters at Work, and she's made the occasional appearance on The Morning Show, but that's about it. During a recent public appearance (via The Hollywood Reporter), Mindy addressed her recent absence as an actor — especially when it came to making a cameo on Never Have I Ever, which she ultimately decided not to do. 'A show literally about an Indian American family in Southern California, and if I wasn't on that—what's wrong with me?' she joked. 'I think there is a part of me that feels a little superstitious,' she continued. 'I'm like, these seem to have gone well and I'm not in them so maybe I'll wait.' Mindy also admitted that she does "miss" acting, and that she "would like to write or co-create a show for me to act in soon" — particularly because doing so would be 'unbelievably fun and it's so efficient.' 'I would love to do that again,' she said. 'That's the thing that maybe in the next couple years, when I launch a couple other things that are earlier in the pipeline, that would be something that would be fun to do again.' We'll see what happens!
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