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. Ramakrishnan decided to pursue acting in her final year of high school and secured her breakthrough role in Never Have I Ever less than a year later. She had initially planned to attend York University's theatre program in Toronto 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, expressing a desire to study a subject purely for learning rather than career purposes. Ramakrishnan ultimately graduated from York University in the autumn of 2025 with her bachelor's degree, completing her studies while maintaining a successful acting career.

Career breakthrough with Never Have I Ever

Ramakrishnan's professional acting career began in 2020 with the Netflix series Never Have I Ever, created by Mindy Kaling. In 2019, she was selected by Kaling from over 15,000 applicants in an open casting call, having submitted an audition tape she filmed at a local library with her mother's camera. At the time of her casting, Ramakrishnan was 17 years old and had no prior professional acting experience. Her selection garnered significant media attention in Canada, highlighting both the scale of the casting search and her identity as a Tamil Canadian. The series premiered in April 2020, with Ramakrishnan playing the lead role of Devi Vishwakumar, an Indian-American Tamil teenager loosely based on Kaling's own experiences. Never Have I Ever ran for four seasons, concluding in June 2023, and was viewed by 40 million households globally within months of its debut according to Netflix. Ramakrishnan's performance was widely praised, with Variety calling it a breakout performance. Her work on the show earned her several award nominations, including 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 magazine's Time100 Next list. That same year, she was also named one of eighteen "Groundbreakers" by Today on the International Day of The Girl, recognized for breaking down barriers.

Expansion into voice acting and animation

Following her television success, Ramakrishnan established a significant presence in voice acting across multiple high-profile animated projects. In March 2022, she voiced Priya Mangal, one of the protagonist's friends, in the Pixar film Turning Red, which was released on Disney+ and in limited theatres. That same year, she began voicing the character Zipp Storm across the My Little Pony franchise. Her voice work in this universe included the 2D animated web series My Little Pony: Tell Your Tale, which premiered on YouTube in 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 special episodes for the franchise, including the Netflix special Winter Wishday in November 2022, and the specials Bridlewoodstock and Secrets of Starlight in June and November 2023. In October 2023, she had a guest voice role on the adult animated sitcom Big Mouth as Marissa, the new love interest of a character. Ramakrishnan's final major voice role of this period was as Beesha Balti in the 2025 Netflix animated film The Twits, an adaptation of the Roald Dahl novel, for which she received a nomination for Best Voice Acting at the 53rd Annie Awards. Her other notable voice work includes the female lead Nan-young, an astronaut, in the English dub of Netflix's Korean animated sci-fi romance film Lost in Starlight, released on 30 May 2025 opposite Justin H. Min.

Transition to live-action film and recent projects

Ramakrishnan made her live-action film debut in 2025, marking a deliberate shift in her career. Her first feature role was as Brindha, the confident best friend of the protagonist, in the comedy drama Slanted. The film premiered at the South by Southwest Film & TV Festival in March 2025, where it won the jury award for narrative feature, and received a limited theatrical release in March 2026. Critics noted her scene-stealing performance, with IndieWire calling it a scene-stealing turn and The Austin Chronicle noting her scenes stood out, though some reviewers found her character underused. Later in 2025, she appeared in a supporting role as pop star Ella in Disney's Freakier Friday, the sequel to the 2003 film, starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan. Released theatrically on 8 August 2025, the film was a commercial success, grossing 153 million dollars worldwide, and received positive reviews. In April 2026, Ramakrishnan expanded her live-action work with a guest role as Countess Crow, part of the teenage superhero group Teenage Kix, in the fifth season of the series The Boys. Her work in 2026 included co-leading the Netflix dance comedy Best of the Best with Priyanka Kedia, directed by Lena Khan and released on 18 September 2026. She is set to appear in a recurring role for the second season of Prime Video's Elle, the Legally Blonde prequel series, and has committed to star in the Netflix romantic comedy The Netherfield Girls, a contemporary adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. She is also part of the ensemble voice cast for The Angry Birds Movie 3, scheduled for theatrical release in December 2026.

Brand endorsements and public image

Ramakrishnan has been involved with several major brand campaigns, establishing her as a influential figure in advertising and marketing. In March 2022, she fronted the spring campaign, "Members Always: Future Together", for clothing retailer American Eagle, alongside Madelyn Cline, Joshua Bassett, Michael Evans Behling, Coco Gauff, and Mxmtoon. She and her brother Vishwaa starred in a Tim Hortons commercial for its Dream Cookies offering in June 2023. In April 2024, she was announced as Lancôme's brand ambassador in Canada, a significant endorsement in the beauty industry. Her endorsements expanded in October and November 2024 with 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, Ramakrishnan 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 high-profile Super Bowl LX TV commercial celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Pokémon franchise, alongside Lady Gaga, Trevor Noah, Charles Leclerc, Jisoo, and Young Miko, where she revealed her favourite Pokémon to be Luxray. This commercial also aired during the 2026 Winter Olympics, extending its reach to a global sports audience.

Maitreyi Ramakrishnan has received several notable honours and recognitions. In 2022, she received the honorary Radius Award from the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television for her global impact on television. She has been nominated for awards including an Independent Spirit Award, a Canadian Screen Award, an MTV Movie & TV Award, and two People's Choice Awards. She was named a Breakout Actor on Time's Time100 Next list in 2021. In 2019, Today named her one of eighteen "Groundbreakers" on the International Day of The Girl.

• Named one of eighteen "Groundbreakers" by Today on the International Day of The Girl, a list of girls breaking down barriers (2019)
• Breakout Actor on Time's Time100 Next list of the next hundred influential people (2021)
• Recipient of the honorary Radius Award from the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television at the 10th Canadian Screen Awards, for her global impact on television (2022)
• Nominated for Best Voice Acting in a Feature Production at the 53rd Annie Awards for The Twits (2025)
• Hosted the livestream segment for the Children's and Youth Programming Category at the 8th Canadian Screen Awards (May 2020)

Philanthropy and activism

Ramakrishnan has been actively involved in philanthropic work, particularly focusing on gender equality and humanitarian causes. Since October 2020, she has served as a global ambassador for Plan International Canada, promoting girls' and women's rights and gender equality on an international scale. In this role, she has hosted several gaming livestreams on her Twitch channel and conducted dedicated fundraisers to support women's rights initiatives and generate donations for the organization. In 2021, she participated in the clothing brand Nobis's #NoColdShoulder campaign, which focuses on collecting and donating used jackets every November to support those in need. Earlier in her career, in May 2020, she participated in the Acting for a Cause live-read series, appearing as Olivia for a live staged reading of William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night to help raise money for a local hospital in Chicago struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic. Her commitment to using her platform for social good is a consistent thread in her public activities alongside her acting work, and she has integrated advocacy into her professional engagements from an early stage.

Selected filmography

Maitreyi Ramakrishnan's career began with her breakthrough role as Devi Vishwakumar in the Netflix series Never Have I Ever from 2020 to 2023. She has since taken on voice roles in projects like the film Turning Red in 2022 and the My Little Pony series from 2022 to 2024. Her transition to live-action film includes supporting roles in Slanted and Freakier Friday, both released in 2025. More recent projects include the 2026 Netflix film Best of the Best and a guest role in the fifth season of The Boys in 2026.

Public statements and identity

Ramakrishnan has been open about aspects of her personal identity and views in interviews, which have at times attracted public attention and reaction. In 2022, she stated that she does not care about labels or the gender of the person she dates or is in a relationship with, describing herself as very much so a personality person. She elaborated that she does not care if a person is a boy, girl, or in between, focusing instead on personality. In 2026, she provided a more detailed clarification of her ethnic background, identifying specifically as Eelam Tamil rather than Sri Lankan Tamil, citing the impact the Sri Lankan civil war had on her family and 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, highlighting the political dimension of the identity. These comments triggered an organized online review bomb campaign against her 2026 Netflix film Best of the Best, instigated by Sri Lankan Sinhalese nationalist pages online, which resulted in thousands of negative reviews for the film on IMDb originating from Sri Lanka.

Questions about Maitreyi Ramakrishnan

How did Maitreyi Ramakrishnan get her start in acting?

Maitreyi Ramakrishnan got her start through an open casting call for the Netflix series Never Have I Ever in 2019. She was in her final year of high school in Mississauga and created her audition tape at a local library using her mother's camera. She was selected by creator Mindy Kaling from over 15,000 applicants, sent four more audition videos, and then had a screen test in Los Angeles before being offered the lead role at age 17 with no prior professional experience. Her casting received significant media attention in Canada due to the scale of the search and her Tamil Canadian identity.

What is Maitreyi Ramakrishnan's heritage and how does she identify?

Maitreyi Ramakrishnan is a Tamil Canadian of Eelam Tamil descent. Her parents immigrated to Canada as refugees from Sri Lanka due to the civil war. In 2026, she publicly clarified that she identifies her ethnic background specifically as Eelam Tamil, reflecting the political and cultural identity shaped by her family's experiences during the conflict, rather than using the broader term Sri Lankan Tamil. This statement was noted by journalists as a significant political identification related to the war's legacy.

What major brands and advertising campaigns has Maitreyi Ramakrishnan worked with?

Maitreyi Ramakrishnan has been a brand ambassador for Lancôme in Canada since April 2024 and for Fable & Mane globally in 2026. She fronted American Eagle's "Members Always" spring campaign in 2022. She starred in a Tim Hortons commercial in 2023 and appeared in four Nintendo Switch advertisements in 2024. In February 2026, she appeared in a Super Bowl LX commercial for Pokémon's 30th anniversary, revealing her favourite Pokémon is Luxray.

What philanthropic work and activism is Maitreyi Ramakrishnan involved in?

Since October 2020, Ramakrishnan has served as a global ambassador for Plan International Canada, focusing on girls' and women's rights and gender equality. She supports this role through gaming livestreams and fundraisers on her Twitch channel. She also participated in the Nobis #NoColdShoulder jacket donation campaign in 2021. In May 2020, she performed in a charity reading of Twelfth Night for Acting for a Cause to raise money for a Chicago hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic, and she hosted the youth programming livestream for the 8th Canadian Screen Awards.

What are Maitreyi Ramakrishnan's confirmed upcoming projects?

As of 2026, Ramakrishnan is set to appear in the ensemble voice cast of The Angry Birds Movie 3, scheduled for theatrical release in December 2026. She has been cast in a recurring role for the second season of Prime Video's Elle, the Legally Blonde prequel series. She is also committed to starring in the Netflix romantic comedy The Netherfield Girls, a contemporary adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. These projects indicate a continued mix of voice work, series television, and leading film roles.

What awards and honours has Maitreyi Ramakrishnan received?

Maitreyi Ramakrishnan has received several awards and honours. In 2022, she received the honorary Radius Award from the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television for her global impact on television. Her performance in Never Have I Ever earned her nominations for an Independent Spirit Award, a Canadian Screen Award, an MTV Movie & TV Award, and two People's Choice Awards. For her voice role in the animated film The Twits, she was nominated for Best Voice Acting in a Feature Production at the 53rd Annie Awards. In 2021, she was named a Breakout Actor on Time's Time100 Next list of influential people. In 2019, Today named her one of eighteen "Groundbreakers" on the International Day of The Girl, recognizing her as a barrier breaker.

Sources and further reading

• Maitreyi Ramakrishnan (Wikipedia)
• Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Actor Bio, Age & Photos (pureglam.tv)
• Maitreyi Ramakrishnan: Movies, TV, and Bio (primevideo.com)

Checked by the Yadude Books desk. Last updated 2026-10-21.