Bridgerton's Charithra Chandran says her parents weren't "happy" with her acting career choice

6 April 2022, 15:47

Bridgerton’ star Charithra Chandran ‘so proud’ to represent South Asian population

By Katie Louise Smith

"Are they happy about my career choice? Truthfully, no. And I wouldn’t expect them to be. That doesn’t mean they’re not good parents, that doesn’t mean they’re not supportive."

Loading audio...

Charithra Chandran might be one of the main cast members on the biggest show on Netflix right now, but she says her parents weren't exactly too thrilled when she decided to pursue her creative career full time.

In a new interview, Bridgerton star Charithra has opened up about what her parents, both doctors who immigrated from India to the UK, thought about her turning down a career in management consulting to explore acting.

In case you didn't know, Charithra graduated from Oxford University in 2019 with a degree in philosophy, politics and economics. But before diving into acting and being cast as Edwina Sharma in Bridgerton season 2, Charithra actually had an offer for a full-time position to work at one of the most prestigious consulting firms in the world.

Charithra Chandran says her parents weren&squot;t "happy" about her choosing acting as a career — Charithra Chandran says her parents weren't "happy" about her choosing acting as a career. Picture: David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images, Netflix

In a Teen Vogue profile, Charithra was asked by editor-in-chief Versha Sharma if her parents supported her not becoming a doctor, lawyer, or engineer – all careers that South Asian parents traditionally want their children to work towards.

“I was always sort of naturally academic. It wasn’t that they were supportive or not supportive [of acting at a young age], they didn’t care or mind — [theatre] was something I loved, it didn’t affect my academics," Charithra said.

While studying at Oxford, Charithra interned at Boston Consulting Group and was later offered a full-time management position at the firm. She postponed her start date in order to explore acting and “get it out of her system” before starting the job... and then the pandemic, Alex Rider and Bridgerton happened.

Charithra went on to add that her parents, who focused on security and stability in their own lives, were "happy that I’m happy and they’re proud of what I achieved".

She added: "Are they happy about my career choice? Truthfully, no. And I wouldn’t expect them to be. That doesn’t mean they’re not good parents, that doesn’t mean they’re not supportive.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Charithra Chandran (@charithra17)

Thanks to her huge – and well deserved – success on Bridgerton season 2, it looks like Charithra's acting career is about to take off as she's already got a couple of new projects in the works.

Her job offer at BCG is also still open to her until December 2022.