Who is Amita Rao, the Star of FX’s Adults?

FX’s Adults is currently streaming on Hulu, blending comedy and a coming-of-age story, as well as South Asian representation with one of its cast members, Amita Rao.

Created by Ben Kronengold and Rebecca Shaw, Adults is about a group of twenty-somethings living together in New York, sharing their meals, anxieties and, occasionally, toothbrushes.

The show puts a heightened twist on the wins, losses and humiliations of starting out in the adult world.

Whether it be trying to get ahead at work, navigating the healthcare system, or dating, the group is finding that nothing about the real world is simple, and all their best intentions tend to make things worse.

Amita stars as Issa, who hops between jobs, partners and causes.

Her heart is always in the right place, but she lacks the execution to carry out even her most well-meaning plans. She also loves her friends hard, but struggles to feel heard.

But who is Amita Rao and what else has she been in?

A trained improviser from Chicago, Amita has carved a path from live theatre to streaming screens with ease.

Amita has a comedy group called Gag Reflex and is a regular performer at Chicago’s Annoyance Theatre.

Her on-stage charisma and improvisational skill helped her catch the attention of talent scouts, eventually leading to an audition for Just for Laughs’ prestigious “New Faces of Comedy” showcase.

On screen, Amita made her acting debut in the short film Anna Leonard: What’s Left in 2021.

She went on to feature in other short films but 2024 was when her trajectory shifted upwards.

Amita had a small role in the TV series Emperor of Ocean Park, which starred Forest Whitaker.

The show centred on a law professor whose quiet life is shattered when his father dies of an apparent heart attack.

The nature of the judge’s death is questioned by a former journalist and inveterate conspiracy theorist. She believes a failed Black nominee to the Supreme Court met with foul play.

Amita Rao showcased for NBC’s Saturday Night Live not once, but twice.

While she didn’t land a cast spot, her performances were strong enough to grab casting directors’ attention. That exposure helped her secure a five-episode recurring role in Hulu’s Deli Boys.

Now playing Issa in Adults, Amita Rao said some aspects of her character are similar to her real self.

She explained: “I think Issa and I engage with the world and our relationships with a similar childlike joy.

“In that way, we both bring play, in the pure sense, to the forefront of whatever we’re doing.”

Her entry into the industry was far from glamorous:

“My first ‘job’ in the industry was as a development intern at a production company in New York, and I was so bad at it.”

“I would always accidentally hang up calls and was so afraid to say any script was bad because I was a 19-year-old and didn’t trust my opinions.

“Anyway, I remember the office had these big jars of loose Red Hots that had been there for as long as anyone could remember, and I just couldn’t stop eating them.

“I became psychologically dependent on them. I basically ate every jar over the course of my summer there.

“When they were finally refilled, my manager was like, ‘I’ve literally never seen them do that’.”

With Deli Boys and now Adults, Amita Rao is slowly becoming a standout name in the comedy world.

Watch the Adults Trailer