Freida Pinto: The Golden Debutante

On a warm Monday evening, I waited to meet Freida by the poolside at a posh hotel in Juhu, Mumbai.

Still recovering from this unimaginable reality—the fact that her debut film Slumdog Millionaire had won the Golden Globe Awards, that it has been nominated for the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Awards and she herself is a red-carpet entrant—Freida smiled with a childlike twinkle in her eyes as she walked towards me. The excitement and enthusiasm of a debutante was clear in the cheerful gleam she had throughout the interview. Here are some excerpts:

How did you chance upon the role of Latika in your debut film?
It was an open casting call and Casting Director Loveleen Tandan was calling several agencies back in India for auditions for the three lead roles. When she told my manager about the part, he very casually told me ‘I think you’ll be very interested in going for this audition, it’s for a Danny Boyle film.’ My first reaction was, ‘Get out of here!’ I simply couldn’t believe that Danny Boyle, who’s made films like Trainspotting and The Beach, was coming to Mumbai to make a film. I quickly sent a tape to London and got a call after a month. Then I auditioned for six months before I finally got the part.

How was the experience of working in Slumdog Millionaire with director Danny Boyle?
It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It’s like your first love; I’ll always remember the day when I went for my first audition, my first scene and so on. The crew became like family, from the make-up artist to the cameraman, each one of us bonded. The level of professionalism was very different; they have value for time and see to it that everyone is happy. Working with Danny Boyle was an experience I thank God for giving me right at the start of my career because when you’ve had absolutely no acting experience, if you’ve never been to an acting school ‘the Danny Boyle acting school’ is the best you can go to! This is why I keep attributing my six-month auditioning as my training period. His passion and energy is very infectious, and he gives in so much to the film that you also want to let go of yourself and give your best; you want to be on the same page as he is. What’s special about the film is that Danny got into the skin of Mumbai.

He shot Mumbai exactly the way it was, he never said lets build a set. It made me realise how we don’t cherish our own city and often find ourselves complaining about the dirt and the heat; it made me love my city the way it is.

You have become an overnight celebrity. How is this affecting you, both personally and professionally?
Life has been so unpredictable up until now that I don’t know where it’ll take me from here on. On the one hand it has made me realise that now I’ll be in the public eye more often, which is kind of scary since I’m a very sensitive and reserved person. On the other hand, I want to share my experiences with the world. At home, I’m still the same ‘ol Mumbai girl and even though my family is ecstatic about my work and is incredibly proud of me, I’m still scolded for silly things like messing up my room; so nothing has really changed personally.

At the Golden Globe Awards, you had the chance to interact with many A-List Hollywood stars. Were you intimidated?
It was incredible and also quite surreal. I have grown up watching these stars and to meet them was indeed a privilege. What was wonderful was the fact that these renowned celebrities are extremely down-to-earth. They are real people, just like us and were wonderful to interact with. I met many of them, including Sting and Bruce Springsteen, but one of the most memorable meetings was with Clint Eastwood. When he met me, he first congratulated me on the film and said he really liked it. I was floored, and beaming with joy.

Recently you were on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Robin Williams as the other guest. What was it like to be in the same room with such talented people?
I was really very nervous before the shoot began, but as it progressed, I became more comfortable. It was all thanks to Robin Williams and Leno—they completely helped me feel at ease.

What are the future projects you are working on?
I haven’t signed on anything yet and won’t be doing so for at least a month. As of now, I really want to enjoy every moment of my first film; I don’t want any moment to pass me by while I was busy working for my next project. I don’t know if I will ever be able to experience anything like this ever again.

And any plans on settling down in the near future?
Nope. I’m looking forward to doing some good projects before I can even thinking of settling down.

TRIVIA
>> Freida-isms

>> Birthday: October 18, 1984.

>> Born in Mumbai, she is a Mangalorian Catholic by descent.

>> She completed a three-month acting workshop with Barry John, a well known theatre personality, after her debut film, Slumdog Millionaire.

>> Freida’s mother Sylvia is the principal of a school and her father Frederick Pinto is a senior branch manager at a bank. Her older sister Sharon is an associate producer with a television channel.

>> She holds a Bachelors degree in English from St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai.

>> She hosted a TV travel show, Full Circle (2006-2007) that was aired on Zee International, Asia Pacific. Her assignments took her to Malaysia, Afghanistan, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia and Fiji.

>> She modelled for two years before she got a break with Slumdog Millionaire.

>> She’s trained in salsa and classical dance.

>> Her co-actor Dev Patel (Jamal in the movie) called Freida his ‘soulmate’ for helping him to come to terms with his newly found celebrity status.

>> She is one of the very few Indian actors to start her career with a Hollywood film.

>> Freida was very embarrassed when Angelina Jolie walked up to her to congratulate her on her film and she couldn’t say anything because her mouth was stuffed with pastry.

>> She has done print campaigns for Baggit,She Comfort, Femina, Verve,De Beers, Mother Dairy ice-cream, Parachute jasmine hair oil, Airtel and Hutch among others.

>> She has donned covers of magazines like Femina, Femina Girl and FNL.

>> Freida has been signed up by the Creative Artists Agency or CAA that represents stars like Tom Cruise, Kate Winslet, Nicole Kidman, George Clooney, Daniel Craig, Julia Roberts and Brad Pitt.

>> She has been nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) awards.