"I did Indian accents in movies and TV shows."
For American actor Ravi Patel, acting wasn’t something he was too keen on pursuing.
And now 70 projects later, the actor laughs when asked whether he’s satisfied with how it all turned out.
Indian-American Patel will next be seen in Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman 1984.
In a recent interview, the actor opened up about his career in the West and how it has evolved over the years.
The 41-year-old actor is best known for his the autobiographical comic documentary Meet The Patels.
The actor has also featured in the series like Scrubs, Master Of None and Grandfathered.
His career trajectory closely parallels the rise of Asian Americans in Hollywood.
He says he feels lucky to have witnessed the rise of the Indian community in the West.
Patel said: “I think I’ve been quite lucky in that sense. As my career has ascended, so have Indians in the fabric of America.
“As I’ve moved up in Hollywood, better roles for Indians have shown up.
“I’m just so grateful for it. And now my parents are doing it, which is a hilarious plot twist.”
Speaking on the stereotypes he himself has faced in the American film industry, Patel shared:
“It happened to me when I first started, I got all stereotypical stuff a call centre operator in Transformers, a doctor in Scrubs.
“I did Indian accents in movies and TV shows.”
He articulated that roles come on the basis of what the person’s conceived stereotype is.
Emphasising on this flaw in the world’s film industry, the actor said:
“If you are an actor, it’s one of the most competitive things you can do.”
“Everyone gets opportunities in whatever their perceived stereotype is if you are a blonde woman with big b**bs, then the role of a bimbo.
“That’s what you are going to start with. If you do enough of those well enough, then it’s your way out of those stereotypes.”
Talking about his upcoming film, Wonder Woman 1984, Ravi Patel said:
“Doing this film was really cool. I don’t care about a superhero movie, and I am not saying I am not grateful for it.
“But it’s not something I geek out about. I enjoyed being on the set of something that has those kinds of resources.
“It was a big movie to work on. There were some of my favourite actors and even director Patty Jenkins.
“The reason I was in it was that she and I had worked together in a show eight years ago.”
Wonder Woman 1984 released on the big screen in the UK on December 16, 2020.
The sequel is directed by Patty Jenkins, with Gal Gadot reprising the lead role of Diana Prince.
Watch the Trailer for Wonder Woman 1984
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