In E. Lockhart’s “We Have been Liars,” Gatwick Patil is an outsider. He and his uncle are the one folks on Beechwood Island not descended from the illustrious Sinclairs (“outdated cash Democrats,” Lockhart calls them), a mismatched puzzle piece of their privileged, white world.
The identical may very well be mentioned of Shubham Maheshwari, who brings the beloved character to life in Prime Video’s eight-episode adaptation; an economics main from Dubai who auditioned by way of Zoom after an open casting name after which ended up in Nova Scotia for an absolute crash course in TV manufacturing.
However as a credit score to the sequence, Maheshwari by no means felt like an outsider. He definitely felt just like the child and the brand new child, however he additionally felt empowered by Lockhart, by showrunners Carina Adly MacKenzie and Julie Plec, by Rahul Kohli (who performs Gat’s uncle Ed), and by skilled contemporaries Emily Alyn Lind, Esther McGregor, and Joseph Zada (in a forged that features David Morse, Caitlin Fitzgerald, Mamie Gummer, and extra).
“That intimidation was there as I used to be flying out,” Maheshwari instructed IndieWire forward of the present’s June 18 launch. “Do I belong right here? I’ve not finished something earlier than. What if I’m not in a position to match? There have been numerous these form of ideas, but it surely went away once I met them. Thank God for that, as a result of they had been so pretty.”
“I realized a lot from all these actors, watching them, that course of, their strategy,” he added, describing the shoot as a compressed movie faculty. “They made me really feel very welcome, very snug. After which it was like I forgot that that is my first job. It simply turned, ‘I like this story, I like this character. I do know they do, too. I simply need to work collectively and do the perfect we are able to, and we’ll simply assist deliver this to life.’”
Maheshwari is an economics main and a testomony to the facility of Backstage, a platform he turned to each time his schedule opened up or his courseload lightened. He’s very conscious that if even one small factor had gone in a different way — a self-tape, a wifi connection, a delayed flight — he may not be right here. He hadn’t learn “We Have been Liars” earlier than the primary audition, however afterward he discovered it in a small airport bookstore and took it as an indication.
“I don’t normally end a guide in a single sitting, however this was simply such a charming guide. You need to know the top, you need to maintain turning the web page,” he mentioned. “I don’t assume we see too many reveals or movies the place the male lead is Indian in a present that’s predominantly white characters.”
Gat was written to be of Indian descent, versus a “Bridgerton” or “One Day” reimagining (or reader misunderstanding, like with “The Starvation Video games”). Maheshwari was greatly surprised by the optimistic fan response to his casting, which confirmed how a lot readers love the guide and the tradition of Lockhart’s fanbase.
“They didn’t even see us carry out but,” he mentioned with amusing. “However they had been so variety, and so they expressed how pleased they had been. I used to be instantly like, ‘Man, this can be a accountability. I don’t need to let these guys down.’ They’ve already given us a lot love and given the guide a lot love, in order that they deserve present. If something, it was an additional motivating issue.”
A whole lot of “We Have been Liars” places Maheshwari and Lind alone in scenes collectively, accountable for the present’s predominant romantic arc. However outdoors of that, Maheshwari liked the large household scenes as a result of he acquired to “sit again and watch these folks do their factor.”
With out a lot appearing expertise, Maheshwari educated like so many followers of the craft: by watching a shit-ton of films. His household principally watched Indian movies as he grew up (favorites embody something with Irrfan Khan however particularly “The Lunchbox,” in addition to widespread movies by Rajkumar Hirani or starring Shah Rukh Khan), and has loved catching up on Hollywood historical past of late.
“You understand how folks say ‘I want I may see that film for the primary time once more,’” he mentioned. “I’m truly seeing it for the primary time now. I’ve been seeing numerous Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Leonardo DiCaprio, youthful actors like Saoirse Ronan, Timothée Chalamet, Lucas Hedges. I study rather a lot watching them.”
Even after manufacturing, “We Have been Liars” continued Maheshwari’s whirlwind introduction to the trade. The pilot premiered at Tribeca, bringing him again to New York Metropolis for the primary time since early childhood. He and his castmates walked the crimson carpet and acquired to chop the road on the Empire State Constructing (“It felt horrible… but it surely was so cool”). He’s excited to get again to auditioning and hopefully discover illustration, now with a giant title to his identify — in addition to that econ main.
“I actually hope I don’t have to return to it, as a result of that is the perfect job on the planet,” he mentioned. “I actually hope that is what I can maintain doing; simply maintain bettering and maintain being a part of good tales. That’d be superior.”
“We Have been Liars” is now streaming on Prime Video.