Anjali Bhimani
Anjali Bhimani is an Indian American actress, born in Ohio, who has starred in such films and shows as Modern Family, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Evil Eye, UnDeadwood, and the current season of Special on Netflix. She started her career working on Broadway and now is a successful film, television, and voice actress with her own YouTube channel.
Earrings, Necklace & Ring : PR SOLO Private Archive Collections
Dress: John Paul Ataker
Shoes: Anjali’s Shoes
How did you get your start in acting? Who is your biggest influence? My first introduction to acting was, like so many kids, the school play. Ever since I was a little girl, I loved performing. I don’t think I really realized I could do it for a living until mid-high school, though, and when I made the decision, all of my teachers – and I mean ALL of them – were insanely supportive. It wasn’t just my drama teacher; it was my Spanish teacher and even my Calculus teacher giving me guidance to lean about acting since they could tell it fired me up. But as far as influence, more than any other actors or teachers, my family was definitely my biggest influence. My parents were artistic people, if not artists by trade. They actually met acting in a play in medical school, and my brother, though being in a completely different field, was a huge champion of me cultivating my unique talents. And my dear cousin, who is a concert pianist, taught me so many invaluable lessons about having longevity as an artist that still serve me daily. Not to mention they’ve all been my biggest champions for my whole life.
Left:
Earrings: Veronica Tharmalingam
Ring: Patricio Parada
Yellow Dress: Angelika Jozefcyzk
Orange Gown: Morphine Fashion
Right:
Nude Jumpsuit : John Paul Ataker
Brown Heel: Enrico Cuini
How has your experience on Broadway helped your acting career? Well, there’s the obvious fact that it’s Broadway, which carries its own notoriety regardless of the production, but also that the two shows I did there– Metamorphoses and Bombay Dreams--were so wildly unique. Metamorphoses wasn’t just a beautiful ensemble show, it served as a sort of balm for the soul which was much needed at the time we were in NY (we opened off-Broadway just after 9/11 and on Broadway a few months later). Bringing a show that we had created together with so much love to that city was special beyond comparison. Learning to have the kind of intimate, quiet moments we had in a room of 800 people is an exercise in commitment and focus. And Bombay Dreams was just this wild and wonderful, splashy, sexy ride the likes of which Broadway hadn’t seen. We were bringing a Bollywood movie to life onstage every night. And playing to huge houses of 1,500 people a night, eight shows a week, was a wonderful exercise in endurance and energy. But really, that’s theatre not just on Broadway but anywhere. Eight shows a week is a schedule that teaches you how to marshal your energies just enough to give a full-blown, leave it all on the table performance, while still knowing how to care for yourself enough to be able to do that for seven more shows. Truly, when I’m doing theatre, I’m usually in the best shape I’ll be able to get in, because nothing makes me work out harder than an audience.
Left:
Earrings: Veronica Tharmalingam
Ring: Patricio Parada
Yellow Dress: Angelika Jozefcyzk
Orange Gown: Morphine Fashion
Right:
Nude Jumpsuit : John Paul Ataker
Brown Heel: Enrico Cuini
You have voiced several video game characters such as Apex Legends, Overwatch, Fallout 4: Nuka World, and more. What is it like voicing a character in a video game? Do you relate to any of these characters?
I love voicing characters in games, especially playable characters, because it means that my performance is going to be someone’s way into the game, their way into the story. And when someone gets to be part of the story and have that kind of agency, they are more connected to it. I definitely relate to parts of Symmetra and Rampart, mostly Symmetra’s desire to use her experiences and unique traits to make the world a better place and Rampart’s gusto for life. She may have no filter and be fighting for her life, but she’s also having a great time doing it. Both of those I can get behind.
You are known for your role as Miriam in the role-playing game series UnDeadwood. Did you enjoy filming this series? How did you connect with this role? UnDeadwood was one of my very favorite acting experiences of the last ten years. To say I enjoyed it is a wild understatement. Getting to play Miriam, a woman of many unexpected talents who knows how to wield her feminine power in a time when women were generally left with few options, was such a wonderful departure from the characters I usually play on TV. And then to get to play with the cast and team that the folks at Critical Role had assembled was just an embarrassment of riches. It was intense and wonderful and magical, and I can’t tell you how grateful I am for the experience. I’m so glad people can still watch it online because I still get messages from people experiencing it for the first time, and I get excited for them for the journey they’re about to go on with us.
Left:
Earrings: Veronica Tharmalingam
Ring: Patricio Parada
Yellow Dress: Angelika Jozefcyzk
Orange Gown: Morphine Fashion
Right:
Dress: Jovana Louis Official
Does being Indian American impact your acting career in any way? Do you feel there is enough representation for Indian Americans in US media? I always find this to be such a tricky question, because I never really thought of being Indian as a defining characteristic of me as an actress or a person, so much as just one part of who I am. Having started in the theatre, it was rarely something that kept me from doing the roles I wanted to go up for. I do think that there is a tremendous amount of progress being made in terms of sharing more unique Indian and Indian American stories, but what I think is the real sign of progress is that there are more people showing up in shows where our ethnicity isn’t really a factor at all. We happen to be Indian, but it’s just one part of who our characters are, just like in life. We are seeing Indian stories and we are also seeing universal stories with Indian people in them beside people of all backgrounds. I love that.
What is your favorite role you have played so far? What dream role do you hope you could play? Ah, I can’t possibly pick my favorite. Truly, I’ve fallen in love with so many of the characters I’ve played, I can’t just pick one. Often, my favorite is the most recent one I’ve done, which at the moment is playing Bina on Season 2 of Special on Netflix. She’s the over-the-top mother of Kim (Punam Patel) on the show. She is one of those parents who gets an A for good intentions, but maybe a C- for tact. Getting to play opposite Ryan O’Connell (the show’s creator and lead) and Punam was such a blast, along with the rest of the family. Bina’s definitely a piece of work and we just had so much fun shooting those episodes. I’m so proud to have been a part of them. As far as a dream role, I’d love to do action comedy, like a female Indian Jackie Chan. An unwitting hero who just happens to be a badass, even though she’s surprised by it. I love sci-fi and fantasy fiction so much as well. I’m a huge fan of Star Trek and would love to play opposite Patrick Stewart, and, hey, since I love The Witcher and I hear Henry Cavill plays Symmetra when he plays Overwatch, there’s gotta be a way to make that magic happen.
You have a YouTube series called I Am Fun Size. What do you do on this series? I Am Fun Size is really a love letter to the gaming community that was so welcoming and generous with their artistry and kindness. I had wanted to offer something in the world as a blog or a vlog but was holding off because I kept wanting to make something “perfect.” Then when people were so free with their artistic offerings of fan art and cosplay and fan fiction, I decided I needed to stop messing around and just put something out that might not be perfect but was hopefully useful. So, I began to share my experiences, challenges, and ways that I had navigated some of the tougher aspects of my journey, and people seemed to really take to it. I wanted people to know they weren’t alone, and to share whatever I had learned in tough times so that others could maybe learn from my experiences. And then it grew into interviewing friends in the business who had their own wise offerings and became a really beautiful way to connect with the online community. Because I think we are all “fun size” in that we’re all built for fun and fabulous lives.
Dress: Jovana Louis Official
You are a highly intelligent and inspirational person. What advice can you give those trying to live their dreams based on your success so far? Don’t waste your time beating yourself up for what you aren’t. Instead, celebrate the things that make you uniquely you. Cultivate your talents, work on your weaknesses, and encourage yourself the whole way. It may sound trite, but there truly is only one YOU in the world. So, make the most of yourself, and don’t let anyone – including yourself – try to make you change who you are. You choose your path, no one else.
What is something about you, you want more people to know? Do you have any special skills or talents? Other than performing? I mean, thanks to the pandemic I am pretty impressive with my Instant Pot cooking skills. It’s an obvious choice for stews and soups and such, but I even managed to make a delicious flourless chocolate torte in mine. I also have double jointed shoulders, which are great for impressing friends and family with my contortion skills, but less practical when say, you’re on the swim team in high school and your shoulder pops out and you start swimming in circles during a meet. I love climbing too. I’m rather adept at climbing things in high heels. When you’re my size, you learn to be particularly agile in 4” heels. I usually tell my husband to turn around so he doesn’t get worried and then tell him to turn back when I’m, say, on the roof of a building. It’s a strange obsession but what can I say is that it’s pretty clear I want to be an action hero and look good doing it!
Can you link us with your social media?
Twitter: @sweeetanj
Instagram: @sweeetanj
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/anjalibhimani/
IMDb: https://pro-labs.imdb.com/name/nm0080401
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/sweeetanj
Website: http://www.AnjaliBhimani.com
CREW CREDITS:
Photography: Sequoia Emmanuelle
Talent: Anjali Bhimani
Assistant: Taylor Jazz
Styling: Melvin Sanders
Make-up: Gilbert Soliz
Hair: Joshua Murphy
Tearsheets: Daniel López, Graphic Design, PhotoBook Magazine
Interview: Destina Marotta, Contributor, Photobook Magazine
