28 April,2011 10:10 AM IST | | Sheena Thomas
When people from Bollywood told Koena Mitra that she had unconventional looks and couldn't really play the traditional Indian woman (read 'someone who keeps Karva Chauth'), the actor was unnerved.
Today she thanks her international looks for her budding Hollywood career. Koena has been in Los Angeles shooting for a TV series, commercials and scouting for work for almost nine months now, and will soon be seen in a Hollywood flick The Story of Naomi.
Back in Mumbai, she talks to CS about the world's biggest film industry and her 'napkin contract' with When Harry Met Sally producer:
What's the deal?
It's been an exciting ride. Even just auditioning is serious business; one needs to do accent training and physical training. I met Michael Hirshenson (producer of When Harry Met Sally) informally while shooting for a magazine.
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And since he was introduced as Michael, I didn't know who he was. We had a normal chat about Bollywood, and when I least expected it, he asked me, 'How about auditioning?' I readily agreed.
He asked me what I'd be willing and unwilling to do in an international film and I said that I would be open to learning, but I wouldn't want to work on a project where the focus would be skin. Then he asked me whether I was a girl who wanted to shine on the red carpet or as a serious actor.
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I told him that I would want to be clicked on the red carpet, like any other star, but I would want that popularity to stem from the fact that I was a serious actor. Michael immediately asked for a napkin, and while everyone around knew what was going to happen, I was clueless.
He then signed on it and asked me to do the same, explaining that when he didn't have the papers ready, he went in for a napkin contract.
The other world...
Working and staying in LA has been a joy. It's so nice to come across big actors who are so down to earth. They don't hang around with bodyguards and unlike our film industry, they don't believe in 'camps' or chelas. If they attend parties, it's with the intention of letting their hair down and not networking.
And you don't get to choose your manager there, the managers decide whether they want to hire you, based on your past work and your ability to get new work. But yes, you have to start from scratch there. Probably that's why many of our Indian actors haven't been able to shine there - they've all lacked the patience.
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If Malika Sherawat and I have done well for ourselves, it's because we've spent months in LA and have put our egos aside while trying to embrace their method of working.
