Mindy Kaling was just “scraping by” in her early 20s.
Mindy Kaling has recalled her early troubles
The 46-year-old star first gained recognition for playing Kelly Kapoor in The Office, the hit TV sitcom, between 2005 and 2013 – but prior to that, Mindy felt “insecure and panicked” about her career.
She told Bustle: “All I wanted to do was have health insurance, make money, and write on a hit show because I was so insecure and panicked about my career.”
Mindy said that while she was an overachiever professionally from an early age, her personal life never quite matched her ambitions.
She said: “All I wanted was a serious boyfriend and to follow this path that I’d set out for myself. I remember feeling like an overachiever at work and just wishing that my personal life matched my professional success — and it didn’t.”
Now a successful writer, director and producer, Mindy said her perspective has shifted considerably since those early days.
The actress – who has created TV shows such as Never Have I Ever and The Sex Lives of College Girls – said: “I didn’t come into this career in 2004 as a scared 24-year-old thinking in a community-minded way. That has completely changed in the past 20 years.”
Mindy previously admitted that she feels most comfortable writing about “strivers and dorks”.
The Hollywood star is a huge fan of the X-rated drama series Euphoria – which stars the likes of Zendaya, Jacob Elordi and Sydney Sweeney – but Mindy doubts she could write a similar type of TV show.
Mindy – who also co-created the sports comedy Running Point – told The Hollywood Reporter: “I love Euphoria’ and I think [creator] Sam [Levinson] is like a genius. I think he has a lot to say about things like sex and drug use and addiction and those are incredibly interesting, but we don’t have a ton of experience in that.
“I watch that show on the edge of my seat, vicariously, but I feel like nerds lusting over guys is more what we feel comfortable writing about so that’s why we do this. We write about strivers and dorks and people who are underestimated.”
