Maitreyi Ramakrishnan

2019–2021: Breakthrough with Never Have I Ever

Ramakrishnan made her professional acting debut as Devi Vishwakumar, the protagonist, in the Netflix teen comedy-drama series Never Have I Ever.^[9][13] In 2019, she was chosen by Mindy Kaling out of 15,000 candidates who had applied for an open casting call for the show.^[14][15] Ramakrishnan created her audition tape at a local library, using her mother's camera, eventually being asked to send four more videos, before having a screen test in Los Angeles and being offered the role.^[16] Ramakrishnan was 17 at the time of her casting and had not acted professionally.^[16] Her casting received significant media attention,^[17] especially in Canada,^[18][19][20] due to the nature of the open casting call and for her Tamil Canadian identity.^[21][22][23] That year, Today named her one of eighteen "Groundbreakers" on the International Day of The Girl, a list of girls who were breaking down barriers and "changing the world".^[24][25]

In April 2020, Never Have I Ever premiered on Netflix.^[26] Ramakrishnan's character, Devi Vishwakumar, an Indian-American Tamil high school student, is loosely based on Mindy Kaling.^[27] The program ran for four seasons until June 2023.^[28] The series and Ramakrishnan's performance received generally positive reviews,^[29] with Variety calling it a "breakout performance".^[30] She received nominations for an Independent Spirit Award,^[31] a Canadian Screen Award,^[32][33] an MTV Movie & TV Award,^[34] and two People's Choice Awards.^[35] In July 2020, Netflix reported the series had been viewed by 40 million households globally since its release.^[36] In May, Ramakrishnan participated in the live-read series Acting for a Cause, appearing as Olivia for a live staged reading of William Shakespeare's play Twelfth Night, to help raise money for a local hospital in Chicago, which was struggling to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.^[37] Later that month, she hosted the livestream segment of the Children's and Youth Programming Category for the 8th Canadian Screen Awards.^[38] In February 2021, Ramakrishnan was named as Breakout Actor in Time's Time100 Next list of the next hundred influential people.^[39]

2022–present: Transition to film and voice roles

Ramakrishnan voiced Priya Mangal, an Indian-Canadian mellow, deadpan girl who is one of the protagonist's friends, in the Pixar animated fantasy comedy film Turning Red.^[40][41][42] The film was released on 11 March 2022 to Disney+ and limited theaters.^[43] Ramakrishnan voiced Zipp Storm throughout the content slate for the fifth incarnation of the My Little Pony franchise.^[44] The first project, the 2D animated short-form web series, My Little Pony: Tell Your Tale, premiered via YouTube in early April.^[45] The series was renewed up to 2026,^[46] but prematurely concluded in October 2024, with a two-season run.^[47] Ramakrishnan also voiced the character for the animated Netflix series, My Little Pony: Make Your Mark, which premiered in September and was preceded by a special of the same name in May.^[48][49] The series ran for six "chapters" until November 2023.^[50] Also in April 2022, Ramakrishnan received the honorary Radius Award from the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television at the 10th Canadian Screen Awards, for her global impact on television.^[51][52] In November, she appeared in a Netflix holiday special tied to the Make Your Mark series, titled My Little Pony: Winter Wishday.^[53][54] It was followed by the third and fourth specials, My Little Pony: Bridlewoodstock and Secrets of Starlight, in June and November 2023.^[55][50] In October 2023, Ramakrishnan had a guest voice role on the adult animated sitcom Big Mouth as Marissa, the new love interest and neighbour of the young fictional version of series co-creator Andrew Goldberg.^[56]

Ramakrishnan made her live-action film debut with a supporting role in the comedy drama Slanted, which premiered on 8 March 2025, at the 2025 South by Southwest Film & TV Festival.^[57] She played Brindha, the confident best friend of the protagonist, who undergoes an ethnic modification surgery.^[58] Slanted was met with positive reception and won the jury prize for narrative feature at the festival.^[59] IndieWire described Ramakrishnan's performance as a "scene-stealing turn"^[60] while Screen Daily called it "amusing";^[61] Jenny Nulf of The Austin Chronicle wrote that "every time [she] is in a scene, it stands out".^[62] Critics found her to be "not enough in the film",^[60] calling her "underused".^[61] She had another voice role as the female lead Nan-young—an astronaut—opposite Justin H. Min in the English dub of Netflix's Korean animated sci-fi romance film Lost in Starlight, released on 30 May.^[63][64] Ramakrishnan next appeared in a supporting part, as pop star Ella, in Disney's Freakier Friday, led by Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan, the sequel to Freaky Friday (2003). Theatrically released on 8 August 2025,^[65] it received positive reviews and grossed $153 million worldwide.^[66] Her final film release of 2025 was the animated musical fantasy The Twits, loosely based on Roald Dahl's 1980 children's novel.^[67] Ramakrishnan voiced Beesha Balti, a 12-year-old orphan girl, in this Netflix production;^[68] the film received a mixed response from critics.^[69] She was nominated for Best Voice Acting in a Feature Production at the 53rd Annie Awards.^[70] In April 2026, Ramakrishnan appeared in a guest role as Countess Crow—part of the teenage superhero group Teenage Kix—in the fifth season of The Boys.^[71][72]

Ramakrishnan will appear as part of the ensemble voice cast of The Angry Birds Movie 3, slated for release in December 2026.^[73] She and Priyanka Kedia will co-lead the Netflix dance comedy Best of the Best, directed by Lena Khan, which is in post-production.^[74] In February 2026, Ramakrishnan was cast in a recurring role in the second season of Prime Video's Elle, the prequel series to Legally Blonde.^[75] She has committed to star in the romantic comedy film The Netherfield Girls, Netflix's contemporary adaptation of Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice.^[76]

Brand associations

In March 2022, Ramakrishnan fronted the spring campaign, "Members Always: Future Together", for clothing retailer American Eagle, alongside Madelyn Cline, Joshua Bassett, Michael Evans Behling, Coco Gauff, and Mxmtoon.^[77][78] In June 2023, she and her brother Vishwaa starred in Tim Hortons' commercial for its Dream Cookies offering.^[79] In April 2024, Ramakrishnan was announced as Lancôme's brand ambassador in Canada.^[80] In October and November 2024, she appeared in four commercials for the Nintendo Switch, promoting the video games Super Mario Party Jamboree, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.^[81][82][83] In January 2026, Ramakrishnan became the face of haircare brand Fable & Mane's 2026 global campaign titled, "Where All Rituals Begin: From Ancient Lands to Modern Hands".^[84] The following month, she appeared in a Super Bowl LX TV commercial celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Pokémon franchise, alongside Lady Gaga, Trevor Noah, Charles Leclerc, Jisoo, and Young Miko, revealing her favourite Pokémon to be Luxray.^[85] The commercial also aired during the 2026 Winter Olympics.^[86]

Philanthropy

Since October 2020, Ramakrishnan has served as a global ambassador for humanitarian organization Plan International Canada, promoting girls and women's rights and gender equality.^[87][88] As part of this role, she has hosted several gaming livestreams on her Twitch channel and conducted fundraisers to support women's rights.^[89] Ramakrishnan starred in the 2021 campaign for clothing brand Nobis's #NoColdShoulder initiative, which focuses on collecting and donating used jackets every November.^[90][91]

Film

Television