John McEnroe Didn't Know Who Mindy Kaling Was Before Never Have I Ever Gig
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The best things happen unexpectedly.
Pro tennis Hall of Famer John McEnroe has been the narrator on all three seasons of Netflix's Never Have I Ever, co-created by Mindy Kaling. It's proven to be a winning, yet unexpected, combination given that McEnroe is a 63-year-old white dude and the series depicts the high school trials and tribulations of Devi Vishwakumar (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) and her diverse group of friends.
"Who would've thought that I would be the sort of psychologist or uncle or advisor to an 18- or 17-year-old Indian American girl going through high school," McEnroe joked to Entertainment Tonight. "So I got to credit Mindy Kaling."
So, how did McEnroe and Kaling connect?
"I met her at this Vanity Fair Oscar party and we were just crossing paths and [my wife] Patty [Smyth] goes, 'Oh, that's Mindy Kaling!'" McEnroe shared. "I wasn't even sure who it was then and [Mindy]'s like, 'Oh my god, I have this idea of you narrating this show,' and I'm like, 'Oh yeah, yeah, sure you do. Of course, I'm gonna narrate this show.'
But Kaling wasn't joking and eventually it was game, set, match.
However, it begs the question: Why was Mindy Kaling such a big John McEnroe fan. "It turned out her father was a big tennis fan and must've talked about me a lot when she was growing up," McEnroe revealed. "He was in India and it's sort of her story."
McEnroe shared that the experience has been "gratifying" because "people have always said, 'I recognize your voice, so here's your chance to prove it.'"
To hear more of that voice, you can watch the first three seasons of Never Have I Ever on now Netflix.
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