10 Surprises We Learned From Mindy Kaling’s Reddit AMA

Mindy Kaling is one of TV’s brightest minds. She’s more than an actress, she’s a writer, producer, and director. Kaling was part of the writing team on The Office before starring as Kelly Kapoor and then she later created shows like The Mindy Project, Champions, and Never Have I Ever. There’s nothing that Mindy Kaling can’t do in the world of entertainment.

For any new fans of Kaling, she did a Reddit AMA (as me anything) a few years back where she answered fans’ questions about her career and personal life. For anyone who missed the AMA and want to learn more about Mindy Kaling, keep scrolling to see 10 of her best responses.

10 Her Worst Date Was Pretty Sad

The world of dating can be a tricky one. Some dates go great while others end up on the ‘worst dates ever’ list. For Mindy Kaling, fans of hers know of her on-and-off relationship with friend and colleague BJ Novak. And while the two are notoriously quiet about their relationship, Mindy ended up telling Reddit about her worst date ever.

“The worst date I’ve ever been on was with a guy who I was super excited about, really attracted to, and then on the date it became apparent that it WASN’T a date,” she said. “He was just a straight dude who was psyched to have dinner with me in a platonic way. He talked about an actress he really wanted to date and we split the check. Thus is dating in Los Angeles.”

9 The Hardest Scene To Get Through In The Office May Surprise You

Mindy’s Kelly Kapoor was one of the funniest parts of The Office. Since Mindy was a writer for the series, fans didn’t always see Kelly on-screen (hence why her desk was in the back of the office, often unseen) but her presence was felt.

Kelly was often talking about her love for Ryan or pop culture but surprisingly, Mindy’s own scenes weren’t her favorite on the show, a Christmas episode was. “The Christmas episode where Michael asked Kevin to sit on his lap, and Steve had to pretend to be crushed under his weight. I think I’m laughing on camera,” she told a Reddit fan.

8 What Was The Inspiration Behind The Mindy Project?

In 2012, Mindy Kaling created The Mindy Project. She starred as the main character but the show wasn’t about her actual life just because she and the main character shared the same name. In the show, Mindy was an OBGYN living in New York City who tried to balance work and play. The show was a hit and lasted six seasons.

Since the show wasn’t about Kaling’s actual life, a fan of Mindy’s asked her what the inspiration behind the show was. Shockingly, she said it was a combination of Pride & Prejudice, South Park, and a hint of Bridget Jones. But that wasn’t all. She continued saying, “And of course I was inspired by the jokes-per-minute pace of The Office, since that’s where I worked for eight years.”

7 What Was Her Biggest Struggle?

A fan of Mindy’s asked her a very personal question after explaining her struggles as a 19-year-old girl. She told Mindy she was her role model and her books and shows like The Office helped her get through dark times. With Mindy being her role model, she asked what Mindy’s biggest struggle was while growing up. Mindy started off thanking the teen and said, “TV and film wasn’t like it is now, where you could turn on the TV and there’s a reasonable expectation that you could see people that bore resemblance to me. So I had to dream in a vacuum.”

Mindy continued saying she didn’t see enough women like her on TV and there weren’t many roles looking for someone like Mindy. However, there were things that comforted her. “I was always comforted by this strange little fire inside of me that when I got older things would not be like that. Some comfort, huh? It should be noted that I was a very focused, odd kid.”

6 Her Favorite Episode Of The Mindy Project Is One Of Ours Too!

For as great as The Mindy Project was, the show had a lot of goofs and mismatching storylines. Nevertheless, the show went on to succeed and created a cult following. When asked what her favorite episode of the series was, her answer couldn’t be better. “I love an episode from season two called ‘Danny Castellano is my Personal Trainer.’ It was just so funny and body-positive. Also, there is an owl in it.”

5 Her Dream Burrito Is A Little Different

Mindy Kaling is a major foodie and her love for food is shown through The Mindy Project. A fan of Mindy’s wanted to know what her perfect burrito would be, and it’s not the typical meat or chicken burrito you’d be expecting from a place like Chipotle.

She said “scrambled egg whites, melted cheese, black beans, sour cream, guacamole.” But she doesn’t stop there – she emphasizes one important thing when it comes to her burritos: “NO RICE. NO RICE IN BURRITOS EVER!”

4 She Wants To Be A Marvel Character

Mindy Kaling appears to have done it all in film. She’s done movies, TV shows, animated characters… She’s made a killing with her childlike voice and amazing writing skills. But there’s one kind of character Mindy hasn’t been yet: a Marvel character. When a fan asked her “What’s your dream franchise to star in?”, Mindy replied, “I want to be a Marvel character so bad. An evil one who hangs with Magneto.”

3 Inside Out’s Bing Bong Makes Her Cry

Pixar’s Inside Out starred Amy Poehler, Bill Hader, Phyllis Smith, Mindy Kaling, and many more famous faces (or, voices). The movie was a raging success, highlighting the complex emotions a human being goes through every day. The storytelling is iconic and is a great lesson for all kids and adults. In the animated film, Mindy portrays the voice of Disgust and she does a killer job at it.

After the movie came out, a fan asked Mindy if she cried when she saw the film in its completion and the short answer is yes. She said, “Bing Bong kills me. I’ve seen it four times and cried each time when Bing Bong whispers to Joy: ‘I have a good feeling about this one.’ K, I’m going to start to cry now just quoting it.”

2 Her Dream Came True

It’s always interesting to see which performers inspire other performers. Fans tend to clump celebrities together and assume everyone knows each other but that’s not always the case. One fan asked Mindy who her biggest influence was in her acting profession. “Emma Thompson. Writer performers, in general,” Kaling replied. Years after Mindy gave this answer, she wrote a screenplay for Late Night starring herself and her influence, Emma Thompson. In the film, Thompson was a leading late-night TV host on her last leg and Mindy’s character was brought in to help ratings. The movie was beautifully written and fans finally got to see Mindy act next to her own icon.

1 Which Disney Princess Does Mindy Identify As?

The world of Disney has gotten some pushback in recent years due to its lack of diversity. Thankfully, we’re seeing progression in this matter in both TV and film so viewers of different races and ages can see themselves on screen.

When a fan asked Mindy what Disney princess she resonated with most, she didn’t say Aladdin’s Jasmine or Brave’s Merida. She said, “I am no princess. I am Ursula the Sea Witch.” But hey, even though Ursula was the villain, she had some real charisma!

About The Author

Lynn Gibbs
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Lynn is a nomad who travels the globe on the hunt for her next adventure with her husband. A lover of being outside (and finding the best latte in town), Lynn is typically hiking, walking, or jogging when she’s not focusing on her love of writing. When it comes to shows streaming on Netflix or anything Bravo-related, Lynn’s your gal.

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