'This character has made me stronger and bolder'

International face

Remember Parminder Nagra who played Jess, a fo­otball enthusiast in Gurinder Chadha’s hit film Bend It Like Beckham? This ti­me the Indian-origin actress is playing Meera Malik, a CIA ag­­­ent in the crime drama
The Blacklist.

Metrolife, spoke to the actr­ess to get to know more ab­out her and her current show. So what about the ‘kickass’ CIA agent that she is playing? “I k­n­­­ew that she’s (her character) a tough cookie. And I thi­nk th­at is the beauty of doing a ser­ies – creating a character, ma­­king it last long, explore it in te­­rms of fashion, etc. I am also loving the action seque­n­ces an­­­d my favourite part is driving big SUVs and running ar­ound with a wea­pon, altho­ugh a little bit too much for me (she laughs),” says Parminder.

Talking about the script and whether she likes to see it beforehand so that she can prepare her character well or is she just happy to get the scr­ipts week to week, Parminder says, “When you are doing a series, I don’t think I want to know too far ahead about wh­at’s going on. So, I don’t like to know too much.”

Parminder is happy to play the role of a CIA agent who is knowledgeable, has been through a lot and is at the top of her game in terms of her profession. And that’s the inte­resting part for Parminder – playing someone who is actually very mature and carries herself with authority.

Sharing the feedback of fa­ns for the show, Parminder sa­ys, “The feedback actually has been phenomenal. I am on Twitter and I am getting to see the responses of the people. T­h­­­ey are liking the show.”

Talking about the new show, Parminder says, “Whenever you start a new job, the first thing that goes through your head is, ‘Oh my God, can I still do this?’ Because you’re building a brand-new character and a brand-new part, and trying to make the show a success. And then, meeting new people and getting to know each other – the people who are probably going to be my family for a long time, finger crossed. I have to say, we’ve got such a great team. You’ve got James Spader who is just magnificent, and it’s like he walks on the set and he has a certain authority, knows what he’s doi­ng, knows what works and wh­at things don’t work. Everyone is giving their 110 per cent and working towards making the best show that we can ever make.”

And are there any similarities between her character and herself? “If not similarities this character has definitely made me stro­n­ger and bolder,” Parminder says.