Casting our Samina

One of the hardest parts for us to cast, was the role of Samina, the stylist that Zara calls in to make over Alejandro’s wardrobe. In the script, she was written as an Indian-American. The writers felt that it was important that our movie reflect the diversity of Los Angeles. The reality of living in a city like Los Angeles is that you meet people of various cultures and backgrounds everywhere you go. And yet, big Hollywood movies are often all white, with very little diversity. So we started looking for an Indian-American actress who could play the part of Samina. And for whatever reason, we just couldn’t find someone who was available and fit. We called everyone we knew who might know someone, and finally a friend of Ed’s suggest Richa Shukla, now Richa Moorjani. And we knew we had found our Samina! And now you can watch this wonderful actress on Mindy Kaling’s latest project, “Never Have I Ever”! #diversity #casting #auditions