Maitreyi Ramakrishnan

Early life and education

Maitreyi Ramakrishnan was born on 28 December 2001 in Mississauga, Ontario, where she was raised. Her parents are Eelam Tamils who immigrated to Canada as refugees due to the Sri Lankan civil war, and she identifies as Tamil Canadian. She attended Lisgar Middle School and later graduated from Meadowvale Secondary School. It was during her final year at Meadowvale that she decided to pursue an acting career. Less than a year after this decision, she landed the lead role in Never Have I Ever. She had initially planned to attend York University's theatre program in Toronto after high school but deferred her acceptance to film the series in Los Angeles. In 2021, she deferred her acceptance a second time and switched her degree to human rights and equity studies, explaining she wanted to study something she was passionate about without the pressure of making it a career. Ramakrishnan ultimately graduated from York University in the autumn of 2025, completing her bachelor's degree in her chosen field.

Career breakthrough with Never Have I Ever

Ramakrishnan's professional acting career began with her role as Devi Vishwakumar, the protagonist of the Netflix teen comedy drama series Never Have I Ever. In 2019, she was chosen by creator Mindy Kaling from 15,000 candidates who responded to an open casting call. Ramakrishnan created her initial audition tape at a local library using her mother's camera, was asked to submit four more videos, and then had a screen test in Los Angeles before being offered the part. She was 17 at the time and had no prior professional acting experience. Her casting drew significant media attention in Canada due to the open call's scale and her Tamil Canadian identity. That same year, Today named her one of eighteen Groundbreakers on the International Day of The Girl, a list honouring girls breaking down barriers. The series premiered in April 2020 and ran for four seasons until June 2023, with Ramakrishnan's performance receiving generally positive reviews, with Variety calling it a breakout performance. Netflix reported the series was viewed by 40 million households globally shortly after its release. For her work, she received nominations for an Independent Spirit Award, a Canadian Screen Award, an MTV Movie & TV Award, and two People's Choice Awards. In 2021, she was named a Breakout Actor on Time's Time100 Next list. During the series' run, she also participated in other projects, including a live-read for Acting for a Cause in May 2020, performing in a reading of Twelfth Night to raise money for a Chicago hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic, and hosting the livestream segment for the Children's and Youth Programming category at the 8th Canadian Screen Awards.

Expansion into voice acting and animation

Following her television success, Ramakrishnan established a significant presence in voice acting. In March 2022, she voiced Priya Mangal, one of the protagonist's friends, in the Pixar animated film Turning Red, which was released on Disney+ and in limited theatres. That same year, she began voicing Zipp Storm across multiple projects in the fifth incarnation of the My Little Pony franchise. This included the 2D animated web series My Little Pony: Tell Your Tale, which premiered on YouTube in early April 2022 and was renewed up to 2026 but concluded prematurely in October 2024. She also voiced the character for the animated Netflix series My Little Pony: Make Your Mark, which premiered in September 2022 after a special in May and ran for six chapters until November 2023. She appeared in several holiday and event specials for the franchise, including Winter Wishday in November 2022, and Bridlewoodstock and Secrets of Starlight in 2023. In October 2023, she had a guest voice role as Marissa, the new love interest of a character, on the adult animated sitcom Big Mouth. Her voice work continued with the role of Beesha Balti, a 12-year-old orphan girl, in the 2025 Netflix animated musical fantasy The Twits, an adaptation of the Roald Dahl novel, for which she received a nomination for Best Voice Acting in a Feature Production at the 53rd Annie Awards. She also voiced the female lead, astronaut Nan-young, in the English dub of the Korean animated sci-fi romance film Lost in Starlight, released on Netflix in May 2025. In April 2022, during this period of voice work expansion, she received the honorary Radius Award from the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television at the 10th Canadian Screen Awards, recognizing her global impact on television.

Transition to live-action film

Ramakrishnan made her live-action film debut with a supporting role in the comedy drama Slanted, which premiered at the South by Southwest Film & TV Festival in March 2025. The film won the festival's jury award for narrative feature and received a limited theatrical release in March 2026. In the film, she played Brindha, the confident best friend of the protagonist who undergoes an ethnic modification surgery. Her performance was described by IndieWire as a scene-stealing turn and by Screen Daily as amusing, while The Austin Chronicle noted that her scenes stood out, though some critics found her character underused. Later in 2025, she appeared in a supporting part as pop star Ella in Disney's Freakier Friday, the sequel to the 2003 film, led by Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan. Released theatrically in August 2025, it received positive reviews and grossed 153 million dollars worldwide. Her final film release of 2025 was The Twits. In 2026, she co-led the Netflix dance comedy Best of the Best, directed by Lena Khan and released on 18 September 2026, playing Maya, a competitive collegiate Bollywood fusion dancer opposite Priyanka Kedia. She also appeared in a guest role as Countess Crow, part of the teenage superhero group Teenage Kix, in the fifth season of the series The Boys in April 2026.

Upcoming projects and future roles

Ramakrishnan has several projects in various stages of production and development. She is set to appear as part of an ensemble voice cast in The Angry Birds Movie 3, scheduled for theatrical release in December 2026. In February 2026, she was cast in a recurring role for the second season of Prime Video's Elle, the prequel series to Legally Blonde. She has also committed to star in the romantic comedy film The Netherfield Girls, which is Netflix's contemporary adaptation of Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice. These upcoming roles indicate a continued diversification of her career across streaming platforms, film, and television, maintaining her presence in both comedic and dramatic genres.

Brand endorsements and commercial work

Ramakrishnan has been associated with several major brands, reflecting her marketability. In March 2022, she fronted the spring campaign Members Always: Future Together for clothing retailer American Eagle, alongside other young celebrities like Madelyn Cline and Joshua Bassett. In June 2023, she and her brother Vishwaa starred in a commercial for Tim Hortons' Dream Cookies offering. She was announced as Lancôme's brand ambassador in Canada in April 2024. In October and November 2024, she appeared in four commercials for the Nintendo Switch, promoting the video games Super Mario Party Jamboree, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. In January 2026, she became the face of haircare brand Fable & Mane's 2026 global campaign titled Where All Rituals Begin: From Ancient Lands to Modern Hands. The following month, she appeared in a Super Bowl LX television commercial celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Pokémon franchise, alongside celebrities like Lady Gaga, Trevor Noah, and Charles Leclerc, where she revealed her favourite Pokémon to be Luxray. This commercial also aired during the 2026 Winter Olympics, significantly expanding her visibility.

Philanthropy and advocacy work

Ramakrishnan has been involved in philanthropic work since October 2020, when she became a global ambassador for Plan International Canada. In this role, she promotes girls' and women's rights and gender equality. She has hosted gaming livestreams on her Twitch channel and conducted fundraisers to support these causes. In 2021, she starred in the campaign for clothing brand Nobis's #NoColdShoulder initiative, which focuses on collecting and donating used jackets every November. Her advocacy extends to using her platform to discuss issues important to her community, aligning with her academic studies in human rights and equity studies. This commitment to social causes is a consistent thread alongside her acting career.

Public statements on identity and personal views

Ramakrishnan has been vocal about her personal identity in interviews. In 2022, she stated she does not care about labels or the gender of the people she dates, describing herself as very much so a personality person. In 2026, she clarified her ethnic background in greater detail, identifying specifically as Eelam Tamil rather than Sri Lankan Tamil, citing the impact of the Sri Lankan civil war on her upbringing. Canadian Tamil journalist Radheyan Simonpillai, writing for Time, noted that for her family, calling themselves Sri Lankan would be akin to a Palestinian calling themselves Israeli. This public clarification of political identity triggered a review bomb campaign against her Netflix film Best of the Best, instigated by Sri Lankan Sinhalese nationalist pages online, which resulted in thousands of negative reviews on IMDb from Sri Lanka. These statements underscore her willingness to engage with complex issues of diaspora identity and politics.

Recognition and cultural impact

Ramakrishnan's career has been marked by significant recognition that highlights her impact as a Canadian actor. Her early casting in Never Have I Ever was itself a cultural moment, as it demonstrated the potential of open casting calls for discovering new talent. Her performance earned her a nomination for Best Female Performance in a Scripted Series at the 2021 Canadian Screen Awards. In 2022, she received the honorary Radius Award from the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television, which specifically acknowledges Canadians making a global impact in television. Her Annie Award nomination in 2026 for her voice work in The Twits further cemented her versatility. Beyond awards, her role as a Tamil Canadian lead in a major international series has been cited as an important step for representation in Western media. Her brand partnerships with major Canadian companies like Tim Hortons and her ambassadorship with Lancôme Canada also position her as a influential figure in Canadian popular culture and commerce.

Questions about Maitreyi Ramakrishnan

What is Maitreyi Ramakrishnan best known for?

Maitreyi Ramakrishnan is best known for her leading role as Devi Vishwakumar in the Netflix teen comedy series Never Have I Ever, which ran from 2020 to 2023. She was chosen from 15,000 applicants in an open casting call, which launched her career. The series was viewed by 40 million households globally and made her a prominent figure in Canadian entertainment. Her performance earned her several award nominations and widespread critical praise.

Where is Maitreyi Ramakrishnan from in Canada?

Maitreyi Ramakrishnan was born and raised in Mississauga, Ontario. She attended Lisgar Middle School and graduated from Meadowvale Secondary School. She later graduated from York University in Toronto in 2025 with a degree in human rights and equity studies, having deferred her initial theatre studies to pursue acting. Her background as a Tamil Canadian from the Greater Toronto Area is a key part of her public identity.

What animated movies has Maitreyi Ramakrishnan been in?

Ramakrishnan has voiced characters in several animated films. She played Priya Mangal in Pixar's Turning Red (2022) and Beesha Balti in Netflix's The Twits (2025), for which she received an Annie Award nomination. She also voiced the female lead in the English dub of the Korean animated film Lost in Starlight (2025). Her extensive voice work also includes the character Zipp Storm across the My Little Pony franchise's series and specials from 2022 to 2024.

What was Maitreyi Ramakrishnan's first live-action movie?

Her first live-action film was the comedy drama Slanted, which premiered at the South by Southwest festival in March 2025. She played Brindha, the best friend of the protagonist. The film won a jury award at the festival and received a limited theatrical release in 2026. Critics noted her scene-stealing performance, though some felt her role was underused in the film's narrative.

What did Maitreyi Ramakrishnan say about her Tamil identity?

In 2026, Ramakrishnan revealed that she identifies her ethnic background as Eelam Tamil rather than Sri Lankan Tamil. She cited the impact the Sri Lankan civil war had on her growing up. A Canadian Tamil journalist noted that for her family, calling themselves Sri Lankan would be akin to a Palestinian calling themselves Israeli. Ramakrishnan's comments triggered a review bomb campaign against her Netflix film Best of the Best, instigated by Sri Lankan Sinhalese nationalist pages online, which resulted in thousands of negative reviews from Sri Lanka.

Sources: Wikipedia and current public reporting, checked by the Yadude Books desk. Last updated 2026-10-21.