KUALA LUMPUR, June 15 — It feels almost impossible to read an interview with British actress Archie Panjabi without the mention of what a talent agent told her 10 years ago.
That an Indian woman could never make it to Hollywood.
It was harsh but it also prepared the Emmy winner for the reality ahead.
“I think that has been the best advice I’ve received,” Archie told press members in Asia recently.
Born in London to Indian immigrant parents, the 48-year-old’s show business career began when she was 13 and wrote to every director, producer and casting director in England to see her for a solid role because there wasn’t anybody or any characters on-screen that looked like her.
While Archie, whose real name is Archana, was called into meetings, she never got the role, which always ended up being somebody white.
“She made me realise how hard it would be in Hollywood and so from that meeting onwards, I never took anything for granted.
“I’m always extremely grateful for every single job that I get because I know how scarce the jobs are for somebody like me in Hollywood,” said Archie, who is currently in Los Angeles.
Funnily enough, it was also around a decade ago when Archie landed the part of Kalinda Sharma on the hit US television series The Good Wife, marking her first Hollywood role which lasted six seasons.
She went on to appear in other US TV series such as Blindspot and Brooklyn Nine-Nine while working on acclaimed projects back home such as The Fall and Shetland.
Fans of Archie can currently catch her in two HBO shows.
In the black comedy thriller Run, she plays Fiona, a manipulative former personal assistant who tries to break up the show’s lead stars Merritt Wever and Domhnall Gleeson while in I Know This Much Is True, Archie plays Dr. Patel, the therapist of Mark Ruffalo’s character.
“They are two very different roles and I think somebody like Fiona could probably do with a few sessions from Dr. Patel,” said Archie, who previously described the character as a “bit of a psycho”.
“With Fiona, I spoke to a couple of friends and I did a bit of research and I very much went with the notes from the director to reach a certain level that I don’t think I’ve reached in my characters – there’s something very over the top about her.”
On how she avoids being typecast, the actress said it was a combination of choosing roles and working closely with the writer and director.
“I always go in with opinions and we have discussions of how we can – if it’s written in a stereotyped way, how we can change it or how I can add my unique voice to the character to amend it accordingly,” she said.
Like so many other productions that were halted due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Archie’s upcoming TV series Departure in which she stars alongside Christopher Plummer was not spared.
She hopes the series about a plane which goes missing over the Atlantic will resume filming by the end of the year.
Archie told journalists she was in Los Angeles when the pandemic broke out and as soon as she heard about the devastation that swept across Italy, she knew it was only a matter of time before the US would be affected.
“When I told my friends what I thought would happen and what I predicted, they thought I was insane.
“But it did happen and I went through Hurricane Sandy and been through so many things – I thought to myself we just have to prepare and there’s not much you can do in a situation like this,” she said.
Archie added that the amount of virtual press and Zoom sessions have been strange at a time like this.
“You can only make the most of the time you have and help people and talk to people and reflect on life and look to the future.
“Looks like my sessions with Dr. Patel may have helped me right?” she said jokingly, referring to her character in I Know This Much Is True.
Catch the series finale of I Know This Much Is True tonight at 10pm on HBO (Astro Ch 411 HD).
Run is available on HBO GO.
