Inspirational Women In Hollywood: How Kavi Ramachandran Ladnier Is Helping To Shake Up The Entertainment Industry
An Interview With Ming Zhao
Take the work doing theatre with kids in schools, or something that interests you in the industry, and don’t worry about being available for auditions or that next big gig. Those jobs are filled with theatre professionals who are coming and going. I look back at the temp jobs I took that actually were soul sucking and wish I had done more with the youth in schools instead of waiting for that job or call.
As a part of our series about Inspirational Women In Hollywood, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Kavi Ramachandran Ladnier.
Kavi Ramachandran Ladnier is a seasoned actor, writer, producer who has over 27 years of experience working in theatre, film & television. Born in India and raised in the US since she was a baby, Kavi was inspired to act at 5, by the little Indian girl at the end of THE JUNGLE BOOK, and inspired to produce because she saw so few people that looked like her on the screen. Expanding the narrative about women in all of their womanity, is part of her mission.
Kavi is currently recurring on her second season of CBS’ top rated franchise NCIS: LA as Reserve Agent Shyla Dahr. She was also last seen as Reena on THE SEX LIVES OF COLLEGE GIRLS for HBO Max. Kavi stars in the Award Winning one woman movie NOW AND NEVER which she produced with her company Art Heart Love Productions. Kavi produced and stars in the feature film EAST BAY which also stars Constance Wu. Both films are currently having a vibrant festival run. Kavi also received rave reviews for her Off-Broadway, sexy, smart performance opposite Sendhill Ramamurthy in HATEF*CK.
Kavi is about to produce the feature THE 8th YEAR, a revenge thriller to be shot in Vancouver Q1 of 2023, is a creative producer/actor on a feature film in development with PoC Studios (People of Culture), and writing a short film with TV legend and her NCIS: LA co-star Gerald McCraney which she will also co-produce and co-direct. She co-produced & starred in the feature Boris and the Bomb, currently on Tubi/Prime/IMDB TV and in addition to film has produced children’s theatre, a PSA for the US Census and a campaign video for Thevi Cosmetics.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?
Thank you so much for inviting me! I was born in Kerala, India and when I was 8 months old my mom and I came to the U.S., to Kalamazoo, MI to join my dad who was getting his Masters. That was the first time I met my father because he left for school when my mom was 6 months pregnant, but she says the moment I saw him I leapt into his arms. We lived in MI, OH (where my sisters were born), NYS, and FL before I moved to NYC at 18 to attend NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. No, he wasn’t military but just kept getting promoted to places that has bases, and I got to experience a lot of really different places and people.
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
I have wanted to be an actor since I was 5 years old when I saw the little girl at the end of The Jungle Book. I had never seen someone who looked like me on such a huge screen, but I saw myself in her and told my mom that is what I want to do. There was close to no South Asian representation in American film and tv back then, but that animated character who looked like me showed me my path and I’ve never looked back. Representation truly matters.
Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
Gosh I’ve been at this professionally for almost 28 years and I’ve had so many incredible experiences, but ok I know which one to share. This profession can be really tough on the soul if one isn’t able to be your own hype person. It’s full of rejection and uncertainty and you really need to be able to stay focused and positive and work on your craft and love it even if you’re not making money or being recognized for the work. I really truly believe that if a role is yours no thing can stop it from being yours and the same is true if it isn’t. I’ve not booked some of the best auditions of my life and booked ones where maybe I flubbed a line or was really unclear of how it went. I am thankful that I have always believed this and that as I got older this way of thinking lives so deep in me because after allowing myself to feel the disappointment I then am able to let it go. I taught my daughter the same from the beginning so she is able to manage her disappointments too. So all that said, here’s the story:
Back in 2006 I was called into audition for the role of Mira on the first season of a brand new show called Heroes. I was so prepared and excited for my first audition on the Universal lot. We only had one car, and so the day of the audition, my then husband and 3 year old and I drove together and he needed to make a deposit at the bank. He insisted on going to a branch nearby BEFORE my audition and I was late. I was fuming and late. I ran into the casting office, and they had already seen everyone. The casting associate told me to hurry and showed me into the room. I barely took a breath to say hello to the CD, Jason La Padura and started the scene. When I was done he looked at me and said, “What was that?” I kid not. I was mortified. I got up, thanked them for their time and started to leave when he said, “Do it again.” This time I centered myself and did the scene again. And he said something acknowledging it was better. Anyway.. that wasn’t a pleasant car ride home. Ha! But I got called for a Producers Session, and nailed it in a room of 20 execs and writers. It’s a much longer story, but from my first audition, being late and pretty much sucking to booking a fantastic role on what would become a huge hit show is a great example of if it’s yours it’s yours.
It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
I’m not sure its’s funny, and it definitely wasn’t funny when it happened but I did learn from it. I am pretty short and always looked younger than I was which meant at 21 I looked like a young teenager. I was at NYU and I got an appointment to meet with Kirsten Dunst’s manager. I had short hair at the time and with my then round face and a pair of overalls I looked like I would fit right in with her young roster. I walked in for the meeting and shortly after we started talking she said, “You look young but when you speak I can tell you are older.” Oof! I was so focused on how I looked that I didn’t consider how energetically I really was no longer a teenager. I went on to play younger roles on tv and on the stage but I never forgot to walk in the room embodying the character. I also learned that when I am meant to be myself, that I don’t want to pretend to be someone I am not.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
My parents are Indian immigrants and no one in my family was an actor, heck my dad was a seriously brilliant scientist, and while they didn’t and don’t understand what I do or the unstable life of an artist, they supported me going to NYU and choosing this path anyway. It’s hard enough to choose any career, but when that career has no proof of succeeding, no representation to show that others like you have been super successful, its doubly difficult.. especially for immigrant parents. But I chose this path from the very beginning and they never forced me to have a plan B or to pause and get a “real” job. It’s not been easy and I cannot say I’ve always felt supported, but I cannot thank them enough for believing in me and my dreams. Unless you have strict immigrant parents I’m not sure if you can really appreciate how rare that is especially back in the 90’s. When I got into my dream school NYU, they sat me down and said, “By God’s grace you got in and so it’s our duty to support you.” I didn’t appreciate how rare that really was and I am so grateful to them for making it possible.
You have been blessed with great success in a career path that can be challenging. Do you have any words of advice for others who may want to embark on this career path, but seem daunted by the prospect of failure?
Dream Big and Always Be Working. Sometimes we water down our dreams to protect ourselves from disappointment, but dream big AND don’t just live in your dreams. Be active in creating them, and also allow your dreams to evolve. We call actors who earn a living from acting, “working actors”, but I’ve been a working actor for my whole career even when I wasn’t making money. Do the thing. Create. Learn. Scene study and acting classes are practice for self tapes and auditions. And auditions are your job even if you’re not being paid. Think of every audition as an opportunity to act and it becomes easy to see the blessings. No part of this process is wasted.
I would also emphasize that unless you are part of the less than 1% who never needs a day job.. it’s a part of this path to have a day job, so find work you really like doing. You are NOT copping out having a job you like or even love because finding fulfillment in places other than acting means you are not waiting around for that acting job and that allows you to call those experiences in.
Know who are you and find joy in the moments you are not on stage or on set so that when you are, you are truly present to the experience instead of already worrying about when the next opportunity will come.
Every industry iterates and seeks improvement. What changes would you like to see in the industry going forward?
Oh boy! A lot. It’s an ongoing journey, but I can appreciate that there have been positive changes too. That being said, something that really bothered me early on was how non-white characters were often relegated to the supporting role and while that wasn’t always the case it was rare that a leading role led to a flourishing career. Case in point .. Bend It Like Beckham that made Kiera Knightly famous and didn’t really elevate the film’s lead Parmindra Nagra. It’s exhausting to see most projects with white leads, as a default. There has definitely been some positive movement, but not enough. I am thinking about books whose main characters ethnicity aren’t specified, but when the movie is made the leads are white by default. It is a false narrative that audiences won’t watch films or shows w leads of color. When we see ourselves reflected in art it empowers us and so making sure more people have the opportunity to feel empowered and inspired means we have a responsibility to make casting even more diverse and reflective of our society.
You have such impressive work. What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? Where do you see yourself heading from here?
Thank you. I feel incredibly grateful to be doing what I love. I can’t wait to see where things go w NCIS LA and I hope to be acting in varied projects in film, tv and on the stage for years to come. My short film Now And Never (www.nowandneverfilm.com) and the feature I star in with Constance Wu, East Bay are getting great audience responses at festivals and I will continue to promote both films.
I am producing a feature film called The 8th Year in Vancouver, Canada in 2023. The 8th Year is a revenge thriller, but from the point of view of a strong woman. I truly believe that we as humans need to be willing to look at our shadows, our darkest parts in order to learn and shine light on them. So even though “revenge thriller” is not a genre I am normally attracted to, when I read the script by Edward King III, Cheyenne Buchanan, and Trace De La Torre… my producers mind started working, and I felt compelled to consider it more deeply. Also this was just days before Roe was overturned and when it was frankly I needed someplace to put my own rage and upset and to feel empowered. Our story focuses on young woman’s need and desire to champion justice for her childhood best friend and what lengths she will go to to secure that justice.
I’m developing a feature with one of my producing partners Anu Hodges. It’s an ensemble family comedy about a blended family of Desi(South Asian)/Black entertainers who, while caught up in their lives of being woke performers, take in a family of Afghan refugees to live in their basement duplex and learn to put their problems into unexpected perspective/the refugee family deals with issues such as PTSD and belonging. Ultimately it’s a story of family love and romantic love set against a backdrop of our very Western societal need to be politically correct and our individual need to tend to our deep ancestral, mental health.
In 2023 am going to co-write, co-produce and co-direct a short film with a couple of folks that are so fab I want to scream it from the rooftops but I am gonna wait a little bit before I do:) I am looking at biographies tp produce and I have a dream project based on a short story by Jhumpa Lahiri that I would love to get the rights to and make one day. And I am also in the process of writing my first children’s book.
So you know, not much going on. Hahahaha.
We are very interested in looking at diversity in the entertainment industry. Can you share three reasons with our readers why you think it’s important to have diversity represented in film and television? How can that potentially affect our culture and our youth growing up today?
I’m gonna mash both these questions together as I feel each of these points well lived can positively affect our culture and youth deeply.
I started my production company Art Heart Love Productions because producing content that will amplify the unity in our diversity is of the utmost importance to me. And to that point and to your question… here is why.
#1. We all feel deeply, we struggle and love, and while our circumstances may be different, we are all human, and if we can embrace that fact about each other we can have a better shared experience. Art reveals this in honest and heartbreaking and hilarious ways.
#2. When we see others who look like us represented on screen we gain a broader vision of what is possible. My seeing the little girl in The Jungle Book changed my life and while I imagine I would have still found my way to this path, who knows for sure, but I know seeing her made me see myself at a very young age.
#3 And also seeing people who are not like us opens our hearts. Film,Theatre, Television, Books, Fine Art… all can open us up to people who we may never cross paths with or experiences we have never even imagined. What we need most as a human family is empathy and empathy isn’t just being able to understand because you have gone through something similar. True empathy is being able to understand what another person’s point of view is even if you completely disagree. We can feel empathy for even the worst of people and this doesn’t absolve them of their behavior, but it does free us to live with less judgement so we also are empowered to truly be of service and fight for others.
If young people can keep perspective and learn to see the unity in our diversity, which they already do better than most, I believe we will be ok:)
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why? Please share a story or example for each.
1. Take the work doing theatre with kids in schools, or something that interests you in the industry, and don’t worry about being available for auditions or that next big gig. Those jobs are filled with theatre professionals who are coming and going. I look back at the temp jobs I took that actually were soul sucking and wish I had done more with the youth in schools instead of waiting for that job or call.
2. If it’s yours its yours and if it’s not it’s not. (See the story about Heroes:) I live by that now but man those early years I just felt horrible when something didn’t go my way.
3. Don’t compare yourself to anyone else. This was a hard one to learn, but when I did I realized that even if I was standing next to 5 others people who looked just like me .. that who I am and the experiences I have had and lessons I have learned are what me me and so how is this a competition? Cause… SEE #2
4. Embrace the things you do not love or like about yourself. Physically or otherwise. For me one of these things was my height .. I am very short. But what I have learned is that the things we resist not only persist, but are often the key to uncovering our truth. The things we say no to over and over or because we are scared will often reveal who we are to ourselves if we are willing to look at them. So if you are adamant about saying no then just take a moment to reflect on the yes before deciding. Doesn’t mean you gotta go w the yes, but It’s a more holistic way of looking at things that allows us to be more self-aware and conscious.
5. Have fun. Find the fun. Be serious about your craft, but not so serious that you put pressure on yourself. Not just in the acting, but in whatever job or task life has you doing. I was always looking 3 steps ahead early on and when I learned to be where I was I found more joy and frankly more work.
Can you share with our readers any self-care routines, practices or treatments that you do to help your body, mind or heart to thrive? Please share a story for each one if you can.
I talk with myself. Ha! I do. Letting my brain lead isn’t always the right way to go so I take the reins and talk things through. I reflect on all angles of a problem and find a way to take responsibility for myself. It doesn’t mean taking the blame but it does provide a way to not get lost in blaming others. Staying HERE NOW is a priority for me. Sometimes NOW is a good place and sometimes it’s not, but being grounded in the present means gaining valuable perspective. I do not judge myself for feeling anything; the good, bad and the ugly of human emotions, and giving myself this grace has really allowed me to stop being as judgmental of others. This isn’t just pie in the sky thinking. I would rather own that I hate something or even someone then waste my time or energy judging them. Being honest with how I feel is freeing and empowering. This way of being is the best self-care I have every given myself.
I drink a lot of water and always wear sunscreen. I take really good care of my skin and never sleep with my makeup on. And the most important is I try to be kind and help when and where I can. I yearn to live a dharmic life and be of service day to day and through my art and this fills me and makes my heart thrive.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
I was raised Hindu, but claim no religion as mine. I believe God is Love and Love is God and live with that faith. The mantra I live by in ALL aspects of my life whether it be career, motherhood, friendships, love… is this. “Lord open the doors you want me to walk through and close the doors that You don’t”. It’s paraphrased from a prayer by St Francis and has become such a deep rooted part of who I am that I need only say OPEN DOORS to remind myself of the whole thing. It allows me to surrender while also being active. We are human and meant to make effort and I do… I work with all my heart to create. As an actor often the work is auditioning and as my belief is that what is meant for me is mine because the the right door will open, this helps me to stay focused on the work for the works sake. I remind myself of this constantly. It is my practice to stay present to this. And it wasn’t always this way, but now I can allow myself the disappointment… it just doesn’t last because if it’s mine nothing could have kept it from me or me from it. There is a freedom I have in my life that honestly I didn’t even have a year ago and that reminder that my highest Self is guiding me always brings me a lot of peace.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?
To not judge ourselves. To be willing to face our shadow and love all of who we are. We can change things about ourselves without hating on ourselves. So much of the hate and ugliness that people are insisting on living from is fear. So a movement to accept and love ourselves and face our fears I think would change the way people see one another. Change starts with us and when we really see ourselves, we can truly see that we are all more alike than we are different.
Is there a person in the world whom you would love to have lunch with, and why? Maybe we can tag them and see what happens!
There are so many, but I will say Viola Davis. I am listening to her autobiography and moved beyond words. She is a pretty tremendous human who has done the work of becoming herSelf. There are things that resonate so deeply with me even though we have had different life experiences. I was standing next to her in Whole Foods once and I went completely blank as to where my cart was and imagined telling her that story on day on set, but I’d love to at lunch:)
Are you on social media? How can our readers follow you online?
I am:)
kaviladnier1111 on Instagram.
KaviRamachandranLadnier on FB.
I’m KaviLadnier on Twitter, but am rarely on that platform.
This was so informative, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!
Thank you for this opportunity to share and the well wishes.
