"Sex Lives Of College Girls" Star Amrit Kaur Recalled Being Told She'd Never Land A Leading Role If She Didn't Get Facial Surgery
She is widely known for starring as the confident and utterly hilarious Bela Malhotra on the hit series The Sex Lives of College Girls.
But before she landed that role, there was a time when the Canadian actor and writer didn't fully believe in herself, and unfortunately, she was surrounded by people who made her feel even more insecure.
Earlier this year, in a Q with Tom Power interview, Amrit spoke candidly about her career journey and how she was told multiple times to make changes to her physical appearance, particularly her face.
"I had a very well-known Canadian agent look at my headshot, put it on the desk, and she took her pen out and said, 'When you smile, your nose goes down to your mouth, and because your nose is so big, you'll never be a lead in a TV show."
Amrit went on to reveal the agent suggested getting a "nose job" was her "best bet" to move forward in her career, and, unfortunately, at the time, Amrit believed her.
"It's because there wasn't enough," she began to say about the lack of South Asian representation on-screen. "I never saw people, I mean Mindy Kaling, sure, but it was so few that looked like me. So, I was like, you're right."
"This is the thing: I had self-loathing about my race and about what I looked like. I was being told from every cross-section that what I am is less than, which is such unintelligent thinking. How could god...or the universal create someone who is less than someone?"
Unfortunately, that agent wouldn't be the last person to criticize Amrit's physical appearance. She recalled other agents and acting teachers telling her that the right side of her face was more "white looking." These were the messages she was being bombarded with in an industry she so desperately wanted to succeed in.
It wasn't until she met a mentor who encouraged her to embrace her natural beauty that her mindset began to change. "I met a teacher who was phenomenal who said, 'I'm going to stop working with you if you ever change your nose. The way you look is exactly the type of stories you need to tell.'"
"'Because your face is the one of everyone. We need to see the everyone on TV. How many billions of brown girls are there that look like you?'"
Amrit said that advice really resonated with her purpose. She's still training with that teacher to this day. Ugh, I love a happy ending, and I'm so glad she found someone in the business who uplifted her. We won't take any Amrit slander over here!
Oh, and I can't help but smile at the fact that she got the last laugh. Not only did she prove she could become a leading actor, but she's also received a ton of recognition in Hollywood and Canada. Did you know she won the Canadian Screen Award for Leading Role in a Drama for her film The Queen of My Dreams?
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To learn more about Amrit, be sure to watch her full interview below. And don't forget to binge The Sex Lives of College Girls on HBO Max, which recently released their third and, sadly, final season.
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