Before Avantika Vandanapu (who goes by just her first name) blew us all away with her fabulous rendition of the loveable airhead Karen in the Mean Girls movie musical earlier this year, before she starred alongside Rebel Wilson in the comedy Senior Year; and even before her breakout moment in the Disney original movie Spin, she was a Telugu cinema star. Starting at the age of 10, Avantika made a name for herself in the competitive Indian film industry. As she continued to book projects, it was clear the actor, who was born in Northern California and moved to India at 9, had the charisma and screen prowess to make it big internationally. Now, at 19, she’s proving herself to be one of the buzziest young names in Hollywood.
This month, Avantika will return to the big screen in the horror film Tarot. The frightening feature follows a group of friends who partake in a seemingly innocent tarot card reading while on a weekend getaway only to unexpectedly unleash an evil trapped within the cursed deck. One by one, they must race against death to escape their foretold futures. Combining her favorite genre with her love of astrology, Tarot presented an exciting opportunity for Avantika—it was a no-brainer.
We see Avantika effortlessly jump from comedy to musical to horror on-screen, all the while keeping up her career in India—she recently starred in the Prime Video India drama Big Girls Don’t Cry. Behind the scenes, she’s taking on the role of executive producer, starting with the upcoming series adaptation of A Crown of Wishes, and attending classes at Columbia University. Basically, big things are on the horizon for Avantika. It’s even written in her cards.
(Image credit: Sarah Krick)
Tarot kicks off with a card reading, which sets in motion the terrifying events of the film. Have you ever had a tarot reading done? Do you believe in that kind of stuff?
I do. I get either a palm reading or a hand reading or a tarot card reading done once every month. Nowhere reliable, though. It’s definitely some really shitty corner-store psychic that I get it done with, but that being said, I do think there is some truth to the whole thing.
The most recent tarot card reading I got done was funded by Sony, and they had this really amazing tarot card reader do a reading for me. That was the best experience I’ve had so far—probably because she was actually quite educated on the matter—and there was more substance to her than the other people I’ve done it with. She pulled out the Star card for me, which means that I was in the right space as the star, and I was in the limelight right now, and I have all this stuff going on, which is great. She also pulled out … a Three of Swords and said that it signified there was a big change coming and that, according to my numerology, 26 was going to be a peak year in my life. Something that happened with this Three of Swords, this big change, was going to domino effect and ripple into a bunch of events that would manifest whenever I turn 26, which I thought was a cool and interesting thing to know.
I’m guessing you are also big into astrology. I know you are an Aquarius. Do you feel like you align with your star sign? What are your signature Aquarius traits?
I would say I’m probably more into astrology than I am into tarot. I’ve read more about astrology, and my mom was really big into astrology, so it passed down from her. I also think I understand astrology a little bit better and find it more believable because, to me, tarot feels like divine intervention, whereas astrology feels like an observational science. It’s literally just people pointing out patterns that they’ve noticed.
I am an Aquarius sun, a Sagittarius rising, and a Cancer moon. From what I know, your goals and your passions and your dreams are more often defined by your sun sign, and your persona is more often defined by your rising, and your emotional side is defined by your moon. I would say that my goals and dreams definitely align with Aquarian tendencies, which are to help people, humanitarian, very people oriented, and more so community oriented. … Persona-wise, people definitely meet me and guess I’m a fire sign like Sag because I do think I’m a little more upbeat than what an Aquarius tends to be or what the perception [of Aquarius] is.
Let’s talk about the film Tarot. What excited you about this project?
Firstly, it was a horror film, and horror is my favorite genre, so that was obviously really cool. And it involved astrology, which I was also really excited and passionate about. It had all of these components that I initially was eager to be a part of. At the time, I just gotten off doing an adult comedy, so horror felt like a nice change of pace. And I’m always excited to work with an ensemble cast because it means that I get to meet people, and I get to work in community for a film. After I auditioned, I had a meeting with Anna [Halberg] and Spenser [Cohen], who are the directors, and after speaking with them, I think it solidified for the both of us that this was a cool movie for me to be doing.
(Image credit: Sony)
It’s such a different vibe from Mean Girls and Karen. Looking back on that whole experience, what was your favorite part?
I really enjoyed shooting the musical numbers. I grew up being a dancer, so it’s always really fun for me when I get to do something music and dance related or choreography related. I am not in the musical theater space as of now. I’d love to be in the future, but that was my way to live out those dreams on a different scale. I loved doing press after. I stayed at a hotel and had both of my best friends come and stay with me while doing press. For a lot of the Getty Images photos that were captured outside like The Drew Barrymore Show, you can literally see my best friends in the background, but it was so fun to get to promote this insane movie and spend time with my friends. Everyone was just celebrating this cool thing.
You embodied the role of Karen so effortlessly. Do you want to do more comedy?
I do feel comfortable in the comedic space. I would like to do more drama just because I feel like when I worked in the Indian film industry, at least for the five years I worked there, I mostly did comedy. After I came here, some of my biggest breaks have been in comedy, so I would like to do more drama. I enjoy both, so I’m happy to do whatever speaks to me and is a cool script. That being said, for sure, drama would be cool.
What is it that speaks to you in a script?
It just needs to excite me in some capacity. I usually tend to find something exciting about every project I audition for. Either, the team is really cool, or the script is really cool, or the genre is really cool. If I do end up booking it, usually, I find something to be eager and excited about. For Mean Girls, obviously, the IP was really exciting. Tina Fey was super super exciting to be working with, and also, all of my friends were going to be on that project. I was friends with Reneé [Rapp] and Auli’i [Cravalho] and Bebe [Wood]. These were all literally my friends, so to be working with my friends and Tina Fey on Mean Girls, it was exciting throughout. Tarot was exciting for the reasons I explained. I did a movie called Senior Year, which was exciting to me because it was Rebel Wilson, and I admire her so much. … Typically, the people play a big part for me, but obviously, I like a script that makes you feel something. The team is quite important.
You started your career in Telugu cinema and still work on a mix of Indian projects today, including the recent Prime Video series Big Girls Don’t Cry. Is this something you want to continue to do throughout your career?
Yes, for sure. I would love to. I speak the language fluently, and it was amazing to be working there for five years and to be able to work as a native. I do miss it, so it would be really cool to be able to evolve to a place where I could be straddling both.
(Image credit: Sarah Krick)
You are set to headline the YA series adaptation of A Crown of Wishes, in which you also serve as an executive producer. Not just that, but you also optioned the rights to the book and sold it to Disney yourself. Can you tell me a little about the process and why this story resonated with you?
I love this book because it had this kick-ass South Asian heroine, and to me, it also felt like it wasn’t rubbing it in everyone’s face, this trope of a shunned girl who was coming out of the rubble. It was also a really beautiful, romantic story, and I thought it was really sweet. I read the book three times before I decided to option it because it was just so good. A good romance will always do it for me.
Roshani Chokshi, the author, wrote this beautiful story, so at the time, I was 16 or 15, and I decided to option it and write a rough vision for what I thought the project should look like once it was adapted. I was scared to ask Roshani if I could option the rights because her previous option sold to Paramount for an insane amount of money, and I was like,” I can’t afford that. I’m just a girl.” I wrote her a big letter, and she read my letter and read my vision and was like, “I trust you, and you seem like you have a good head on your shoulders, and I’m willing to give it to you for what you’re asking for.” I was doing it for the first time, and I was not in the know. I was working on a Disney movie called Spin, and I went to Disney for help, and I was like, “Hey, I don’t know what to do,” and they were like, “Well, why don’t you start by pitching this to us?” I was like, “That’s a great idea.” I pitched it to them, and they ended up loving it.
Congratulations! Do you want to do more producing in the future? If so, what are the stories you are looking to bring to the forefront?
I would absolutely love to do more producing. I’ve always loved it. I think storytelling is about so many more aspects than just being an actor and executing lines on a page. Obviously, that’s a huge part, but it’s also really cool to be behind the scenes. I would love to be making projects like A Crown of Wishes, which take the Indian diaspora to a more commercial/global scale. I would also like to make indie movies about immigrant stories. I think they are so important and haven’t been told enough. Past Lives and Minari are really good examples of heartfelt immigrant stories that so many first-gen kids could relate to and see their parents having endured. I would like to make things in that space as well.
Your acting career is really taking off, but I know school is also important to you, and you are attending Columbia University. How has it been juggling acting and classes?
It’s definitely been hectic, and since it’s been hectic, I will say I have taken a temporary leave for a few months. I’m trying, but it definitely has resulted in a need for me to prioritize. When I was going to high school, my teachers were a lot more flexible and allowed me to take all of my exams at the end of the semester and allowed me to submit my coursework online. But college is a different landscape, and so much of attendance is mandatory, and I would hate to half-ass something that I worked really hard for. I think the solution as of now is taking a little time off, but I hope to go back next semester. We shall see.
(Image credit: Sony)
Shifting gears a bit, you strike me as someone who likes to have a lot of fun with fashion, as evidenced by your press looks, including a recent “local librarian” moment for Tarot. How would you describe your fashion approach when promoting a project?
In general, my tendency for silhouette and vibe is quite feminine. Within that space, for each film, we definitely try to convey the vibe of the film both on- and off-screen. It’s just a fun way to play dress-up outside of the film as well. I’m in this business because I love playing characters, so it’s obviously fun to play a character when you’re promoting a film and never letting that journey stop. I get to dress like myself on a day-to-day basis—what is the fun doing that as well for promoting a film? … We approach it in a way of not being so on the nose but remotely in the same world of whatever we’re promoting.
What about off duty? How would you describe your look? What would you say is a wardrobe signature of yours?
I would say my off-duty [style] is very boho and eclectic. It’s long skirts and fun vintage pieces and a lot of colors. A combination of half-bizarre things that you wouldn’t think work [together]. I was coming back from Maryland yesterday, and I was wearing this quilted skirt and white top with lace, and usually, I’ve always worn Uggs. That’s been my signature. Anyone who is friends with me knows that I have six pairs of Uggs. It’s really all I live in.
I recently switched them out for a pair of vintage Coach boots that are green and brown and have this big brown fur trim. I wore those with my outfit, and my friend was like, “Avantika, you have this crazy habit of taking an insane piece of clothing and convincing yourself that it’s a neutral.” It’s so true! I’ve worn those boots with practically everything, and in my head, it’s 100% a neutral. I think people have seen me in those boots so often [that], to them, it’s also become a neutral. I think that’s a key component of my style. Every season, I’ll decide on an item, and it will be an absurd piece of clothing, but it’s a neutral, and it’s going to stick with me the whole season.
Is that going to be your summer staple?
Wait, I have to show you. They are insane. It’s not a summer boot. Am I going to wear them during the summer? Probably. I wouldn’t say it’s a summer vibe, though. I have to find something else.
Tarot is now in theaters.
