'Fargo's' Richa Moorjani on Starting a New Chapter and Graduating From 'Never Have I Ever' | THR News Video - video Dailymotion

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Richa Moorjani is stepping into a new chapter in the latest season of FX's 'Fargo'. The actress latest role in the award nominated FX series is a far departure from her breakout role in Netflix's 'Never Have I Ever' and is hardly recognizable as officer Indira Olmstead who finds herself in the middle of kidnapping case unlike any other in her small Minnesota town.

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00:00You walk onto that set and immediately you feel like you are part of a family, and that was so special.

00:07Richa Murjani is stepping into a new chapter in the latest installment of FX's Fargo.

00:12The actress's latest role in the award-nominated series is a far departure from her breakout role in Netflix's Never Have I Ever,

00:19and is hardly recognizable as Officer Indra Olmsted,

00:22who finds herself in the middle of a kidnapping case unlike any other in her small Minnesota town.

00:27The latest installment is set in Minnesota and North Dakota in 2019,

00:32and stars Juno Temple as Dorothy Dot Lyon, a Midwestern housewife whose past comes back to haunt her

00:38after she lands in hot water with the authorities.

00:40The all-star cast is rounded out by Jon Hamm, Joe Keery, Lamorne Morris, and Jennifer Jason Leigh, among others.

00:47Murjani caught up with The Hollywood Reporter to chat about her new role,

00:51facing imposter syndrome and graduating from the halls of Sherman Oaks.

00:55I was filming the last season of Never Have I Ever when I got the audition for this.

01:00I was so scared when I got this audition because I had actually never seen Fargo before,

01:07and I didn't know what a Minnesota accent was, and it was just so far beyond anything I thought I could do.

01:15The actress noted that coming off of a popular YA show like the Netflix hit almost felt like graduation.

01:20It really felt like we all grew up together on that show, and just as Baby was graduating in season four,

01:26it felt like a graduation for all of us as actors, to be honest.

01:29However, the actress shared that she did struggle with imposter syndrome when first going out for her role in Fargo,

01:35and confided in her Never Have I Ever co-star, Purna Jagannathan.

01:38I almost turned down the audition, but luckily my manager and Purna, who was on set with me, did not allow me to do that.

01:46Fargo has always been defined by these powerful women, and mostly playing cops.

01:54Everyone from Frances McDormand in the movie to Alison Tolman in season one,

02:00and, you know, in subsequent seasons after that, and none of them looked like me.

02:05And so I just, when I saw the audition, I was like, well, I don't think I'm right for this role.

02:12Like, I've never seen anybody play this role that looks like me.

02:15But the role was actually specifically written for an Indian American woman to play, which I was so fascinated by.

02:24An extensive conversation with creator and showrunner Noah Hawley also put her mind at ease.

02:29Before I even got the role, it was after I sent him my tape, I had a meeting with him, and I asked him,

02:35why did you write this role as Indian American?

02:37Because I hadn't read all the scripts yet.

02:38I'd only gotten maybe the first script at that point.

02:41So her culture didn't come into play.

02:43And I loved his answer.

02:45He said that it has nothing to do with her storyline.

02:48It's just, you know, I, speaking as Noah, he said, I grew up in Texas where, you know,

02:51Indian people are very much part of the fabric of society, and you see them in every industry.

02:56And I wanted my world and my show to reflect that.

02:58So my question was why?

02:59And his answer was why not?

03:01Working on a critically acclaimed show is no small feat.

03:04And that also means working with some heavy hitters, including Temple, Ham, and Lee, among others.

03:09It feels surreal to even think about it, to be honest.

03:11Each and every person in the cast just, I mean, I learned so much from every single person.

03:17But I have several incredible scenes with Jennifer, and she was such a wonderful scene partner.

03:26And I was very intimidated when I got the scripts because I saw that I had these scenes with her.

03:30And I was like, oh, my God, what's it going to be like to work with her?

03:32I really have to bring, you know, I really have to bring it.

03:35I can't phone it in.

03:36And one thing that just was so, I don't know, it just meant so much to me was the nights before the scenes I'd be shooting with her,

03:46she would call me and want to run lines with me.

03:49And that was a huge deal because I didn't know what to expect.

03:52I was like, do I just show up and be prepared, or is she somebody that wants to rehearse before?

03:57And I just learned so much from that.

03:58Rajani also teased a big moment for the character coming up in episode six.

04:02She's, you know, drowning in financial debt.

04:05Her life is a mess.

04:06And we see a lot more of that unfold in episode six.

04:10And there's a scene in the beginning where she's about to go to work,

04:15and her husband just lays a bomb on her and tells her, I want a wife.

04:20And I won't say too much about it, but it's a very disturbing scene, but also it's a powerful scene.

04:29The latest installment was also recently nominated for a Golden Globe and Critics' Choice Award.

04:35Yeah, you know, it's my first time being a part of a show that's getting this kind of critical acclaim,

04:39and it's, I feel very humbled.

04:41Watch the latest episode of Fargo out now on FX and Hulu.

04:44And for more entertainment news and updates, keep watching The Hollywood Reporter News.

'Fargo's' Richa Moorjani on Starting a New Chapter and Graduating From 'Never Have I Ever' | THR News Video

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