Indian-origin American actress Sarayu Blue (nee Sarayu Rao) stars as Hilary Starr, one of the main characters in Expats, which is based on the novel Expatriates by Janice Y.K. Lee and looks at the personal and professional lives of a tight-knit group of expatriates living in Hong Kong.

Directed by Lulu Wang and executive-produced by Nicole Kidman who also stars in the series, Expats is now streaming on Prime Video. t2 chatted with Sarayu — who has notable credits on screens big and small — over a video call.

What were your biggest takeaways from being a part of Expats?

What was most exciting was seeing such a balanced and dimensional South Asian woman being written and getting to see such range in the storyline. One of our writers, Gursimran Sandhu, is South Asian, and getting to see this Indian character (Hilary Starr) who is so well-rounded and human, to see that humanness about her was so exciting.

Are you increasingly seeing less stereotyped and more well-rounded characters being offered to actors of colour?

I think that is true. We are seeing so much better depictions all around. I just hope to see it grow. Expats is an excellent example. There are three female leads and we are all these incredibly complex characters.It is really exciting to be a part of these times.

What was the most challenging and the most creatively satisfying aspect of starring in Expats?

When you work with a director like Lulu (Wang), you are asked to grow and bring something spectacular to the table. You can’t sleep on it. You have to bring your A-game. And the same is true working with somebody like Nicole Kidman. The calibre of this project is so high and I was nervous and excited. It asks you to be very, very present for the entire experience. That was the biggest challenge and the biggest thrill.

Does your character Hilary speak to you in any way?

I am very different from Hilary in a lot of ways. Hilary is very put together. She is very pristine. She presents a very specific image. I am a little bit more all over the place, a little more discombobulated. I am not quite so perfectly presented. That is just my nature. It was exciting to play somebody who is so controlled and different from me in a lot of ways.

I think where Hilary and I meet is her strength. I do consider myself somebody who has fought for a long time for a lot of things. Hilary has that fire in her and she has this adamancy and resilience. It is a place where we cross paths.

In the journey you have had so far, what would you pick as the crests and the troughs?

We don’t have enough time for all the troughs! (Laughs) The crests have been experiences like Monday Mornings, which was based on a book written by Sanjay Gupta. I get to play characters that are so dimensional and nuanced, and it’s not an accident that Indians, Asians, and South Asians are part of that experience. When I am in shows written by people who understand the (Asian) experience, there is a dimensional character that comes along with that.

Are you clued in on what is happening in Indian films and television?

I have to be better about it. I grew up with professorial parents. My dad is a Sanskrit professor and also taught Telugu. My mom is a short story writer and her passion is writing about Telugu women writers from the ’50s. So I grew up in a household where we didn’t watch TV. I didn’t grow up on Bollywood, to be honest. I grew up very, very scholarly.

It is a world that I still learn about and my desi friends come over and they show me these Indian films and shows and I am like: ‘Amazing! I didn’t know about any of this.’ It is fun to explore but I have to do better.

Were your parents cool about the fact that you wanted to be an actor?

Honestly, my dad was scared. He thought: ‘How are you going to make a living? There are no Indians in film and TV. What are you thinking?!’ He knew I wasn’t going to be a doctor. He saw that that wasn’t going to happen (laughs). My mom, as I said, is a writer. My dad’s passion is Telugu poetry and Sanskrit poetry. So I did grow up with artiste-heart parents. And they have always supported me.