Actor welcomes ‘And Just Like That’ criticism
Choudhury plays character of color added to revival of ‘Sex and the City’
A recent episode of “And Just Like That...” featured a tableau instantly familiar to fans of “Sex and the City”: Carrie, Miranda and Charlotte sitting around a cafe table trading pithy oneliners about their personal lives over brunch.
One thing, however, was Earth-shatteringly different: The women were joined, for the first time, by Seema Patel, the glamorous real estate agent played by Sarita Choudhury in the HBO Max revival series.
The enormity of the moment was not lost on Choudhury: “I saw it in the script and I was like, ‘What? I’m at the table?!’ ” the actor said.
One of four new characters of color introduced in the reboot, which attempts to tell a more inclusive story than the original series, Seema is fabulous and successful with a saucy wit — a suitable successor to Samantha, who is absent from the series, save for a few text messages.
She quickly bonds with a grieving Carrie over their shared love of furtive cigarettes, but she is also insecure about being single, even concocting a nonexistent boyfriend to stave off questions from her overbearing parents. “Any Indian girl can relate to that,” says Choudhury. “I love that I lie to my parents. It seems so ridiculous, but it rings true to anyone I know.”
Raised by an Indian father and an English mother, Choudhury, 55, grew up in Jamaica and Italy, eventually landing in Canada for college, where she studied film theory. She has spent most of her adult life in New York — “it’s the only place you can have that combination of cultures and be accepted,” she says — but is hesitant to designate any one place home.
Her resume is similarly eclectic.
Since her breakthrough role in “Mississippi Masala,” Mira Nair’s 1991 indie romance about a young woman of UgandanIndian descent who falls in love with a Black man in smalltown Mississippi, Choudhury has worked steadily, amassing credits that span network procedurals, art house films and blockbuster franchises. Many TV viewers got to know her as Mandy Patinkin’s frustrated wife on “Homeland.”
“And Just Like That” has sparked lively conversations about subjects both lofty (race, gender identity, aging, grief ) and trivial (the supposed dangers of Peloton).
Choudhury, for one, welcomes the debate: “Bring it on!”
This interview with Choudhury has been edited for clarity and length.
Q: “And Just Like That” is a revival of a series people have very strong feelings about. Were you at all trepidatious about joining it?
A: Trepidatious — that is a great word. When I first got the call (to audition), my first thought was like, “Why would they want me?” I couldn’t see me, Sarita, in the show. Then I read the script and immediately I was taken with Seema. I’ve never played a character who’s so unapologetic. And I thought, “I’m gonna work hard on this audition.” And sometimes in an audition if you’re actually having fun, you fall in love with
the role. I brought a lot of props. I had a smoothie, glasses, a cup of coffee, a cigarette. They were like, “Whoa, this is a full performance.” I didn’t know how to do her without all these things. I had so much fun in the audition, which is so rare. I remember calling my agent saying, “I want to do this.”
Q: Were you particularly attached to the original series?
A: I came to it late. When it came out, I didn’t have a TV, and I definitely didn’t have HBO. I could never afford HBO. I ended up watching it when I was in Italy. I was having a rough summer. And it was on late at night, and I watched one episode. And I remember thinking, “Oh, that kind of helped me. It distracted me. It made me feel less alone.” And so I found a way to watch all of it.
Q: Why do you think Carrie and Seema have such an instant connection?
A: I think Carrie needs a new voice, because I think when you go through loss, you’re sad and you want to be comforted, but sometimes you also want to misbehave, and maybe you can’t say that to your friends, because you have erratic thoughts. There is something about being with Seema where Carrie can rebel in a way that she can’t with the others, because they might ask questions. Q: The show has gotten
some pretty tough criticism, much of it centered on the four new characters who are people of color. What’s your reaction to that?
A: I’m so excited by it all. I know that sounds weird. I feel there’s something very alive going on in the conversation. I’m shocked by some of the criticism only because it’s really hard to add four new characters and do a good job. You’re naturally going to fail somewhere. And I was impressed by how the show gave us all full lives. When you’re added to a show, it’s usually just to help progress the protagonist, but in this show, I don’t feel like I’m ever doing that.
Q: You grew up in Jamaica and Italy with parents from England and India. Did growing up immersed in so many different cultures prepare you to be an actor?
A: Definitely, in that being an actor is going to a new school on every new set. I don’t know what makes a good actor. But I would say travel is one thing (that helps) with empathy. Especially if you’re an Indian girl moving to Rome at the age of 12, where you’re not the right color and you didn’t come from money. You deal with a lot of rejection as an actor, so it helps you with that, for sure. I’ve always been excited by auditioning, never scared, because I had (faced) so much rejection.
Q: How did you discover acting?
A: I always danced. It was ballet, then my body changed, and I moved into modern dance. And then I went to film school and got heavily into critical theory. I started to realize that I had to get out of my head, and I joined an acting class. And it was the only place I’ve ever felt like, ironically, I wasn’t aware of myself. No matter what you think, you can’t just say it, because you have lines. And I enjoyed having to force any intelligence I have in a nonlinear direction. It was so releasing for me, and I never looked back.