Image Source: Getty / Mike Coppola [1]
Mindy Kaling [2] is known for making us laugh until our sides hurt [3] on screen, but behind the scenes, she's a total boss. The actress first rose to fame with her role as Kelly on The Office [4] and has since built a résumé most people could only dream of. In addition to creating, writing, producing, and starring in The Mindy Project [5], she has also written two New York Times bestselling books and starred in a handful of blockbuster films. Who else is pumped for Ocean's 8 [6]?
Since Mindy has been one of our favorites for years, we were pumped to have her at POPSUGAR Play/Ground this year — read all about it here [7], then check out our interview with Mindy below.
POPSUGAR: What smart women do you look up to in your own industry?
Mindy Kaling: Shonda Rhimes has created a constellation of shows that represent so much that I admire: inclusive (and gorgeous!) casts and addictive storytelling. There are also so many talented young women breaking through in a major way right now: Letitia Wright and Geraldine Viswanathan come to mind.
PS: What is more fulfilling for you: acting or writing?
MK: Both have their respective joys and challenges, but writing is so solitary; that can be tough for my social, chatty personality!
PS: Do you have any advice for writers looking to publish a book?
MK: My fun trick to writing my book of essays was coming up with titles I loved for essays and then working backwards from that, like "4 A.M. Worries" and "Why Not Me?"
PS: What skills or lessons did you take away from going to Dartmouth?
MK: You can succeed in and love your environment, even if you don't see yourself represented in the other people in your environment.
PS: What's your favorite thing to do to de-stress?
MK: This is very random, but I love wrapping presents. It's so meditative for me.
PS: What's one thing every woman should do in their 20s?
MK: Freeze their eggs.
PS: What advice do you have for young women who might not see their own potential?
MK: People feel uncomfortable around women who don't hate themselves, but that's their issue, not yours.
PS: What motivates you to actually accomplish your dreams?
MK: Good old-fashioned panic.
PS: On days or in moments when you feel insecure, how do you pump yourself up?
MK: I love exercise, but not for weight-loss reasons (I eat far too much for working out to make a dent in my weight!). I do it because I love the endorphins I get once I work out. So I try to get an endorphin rush before something I'm nervous for by going for a run.
Image Source: Everett Collection [9]
PS: What was most special and rewarding to you about The Mindy Project?
MK: The people I met making that show are still my closest friends. And let's be honest — the clothes were pretty damn special. Mindy Lahiri wore to work what most women would wear to the Golden Globes.
PS: Oprah's baby gift was incredible! Has anyone else given you something that was mind-blowing?
MK: My wonderful friend Dan Goor, who created Brooklyn Nine-Nine, gave my baby several beautiful Indian dresses he bought while visiting India. I loved it because it made me suddenly remember that it's important that Katherine be able to identify as Indian.
PS: You're a style icon and very involved in wardrobe on your own shows — how did you form your own personal style?
MK: I don't have a lot of rules. I have always admired women and men who aren't afraid of color. Wearing color is synonymous with confidence to me.
PS: List three things on your current bucket list.
MK: Visit India with my daughter. Help lobby our leaders to regulate the sale of AR-15 guns. Run a marathon.
PS: What are you still hoping to accomplish in your life?
MK: I would love to be in a Broadway play.
PS: Did you watch the royal wedding? If you could have gone and brought a date, who would it have been?
MK: I loved every second of it, and I just think Meghan Markle [10] is the best. If I could've gone, I would've brought Sal Perez, my costume designer for The Mindy Project. Hearing his opinions on the fashion would've made my whole night.
PS: What advice would you give your 22-year-old self?
MK: The body you hate now will be the body you wish you still had in 15 years. Treat it nicely.
PS: What talent or passion have you been able to use in your career in an unexpected way?
MK: I love late-night television — and always have. I used to wait up in middle school and watch David Letterman [11]. I just wrapped a movie I wrote called Late Night about a female talk-show host played by Emma Thompson [12].
PS: What is the one thing that influenced your career today? When was the moment when you realized you were on the right path?
MK: The single biggest turning point in my career was being hired to write and act on The Office in 2004. Even back then, before we had shot the second episode, I knew it was special and I was lucky to be a part of it.
PS: What does "finding your happy" mean to you? Do you feel you've "found it"?
MK: I think I only found this fairly recently. Hanging out with my baby is "my happy."
Image Source: Getty / Mike Coppola / VF17 [13]
PS: Guilty pleasure?
MK: Cadbury Crème Eggs (I bought them the week of Easter and put them in my freezer to last the whole year).
PS: Favorite curse word?
MK: "F*cking f*ck!"
PS: Happy place?
MK: Weekday afternoon surprise hangout with my baby on my bed.
PS: Heels or flats?
MK: Stiletto slingbacks.
PS: The one thing you can't leave home without?
MK: SPF 55 slathered on my décolleté.
PS: What show are you currently binge-watching?
MK: The Handmaid's Tale [14] season two.
PS: Favorite junk food?
MK: Raspberry jelly donuts.
PS: Favorite healthy food?
MK: Cherry tomatoes.
PS: Favorite workout?
MK: A long jog where I pretend I'm a Nazi hunter.
PS: Favorite splurge?
MK: A Dolce & Gabbana dress for me and a matching one for my baby.
PS: Feel-good music?
MK: "Upgrade U" by Beyoncé.
PS: Prized possession?
MK: My baby, Katherine. After her, a pair of Roger Vivier crystal slingbacks.
PS: First thing you do when you wake up?
MK: Drink an entire bottle of water.
PS: Last thing you do before going to bed?
MK: Take all my pills 'cause I'm old. I'm not Yara Shahidi [15], y'all.