ANITA KALATHARA — A BOOK OF MAGAZINE

South Indian actress, Voice Over artist and writer ANITA KALATHARA plays the metahuman Holly McKenzie a.k.a. Sleepwalk in DC’s DOOM PATROL. Her character possesses high endurance, increased speed and super strength.

With an impressive resume of over 40 film and TV roles, Kalathara is active and constantly creating. Aside from her role in Doom Patrol, she is also on TrollsTopia, India Sweets and Spices and more.

In this exclusive interview, Kalathara opens up on her acting journey, her role in DOOM PATROL, romcoms, horror films, life lessons and her dream projects.

Photographer: IRVIN RIVERA, Fashion Stylist: AMBIKA SANJANA, Make-up & Hair: MIREYA FRAUSTO Production Asst: WOLFIE TRAUSCH
Bottom: SARAH REGENSBURGER, Jewelry: TC URBAN COUTURE, Boots: PSKAUFMAN

Tell us about yourself.

Hey, I’m Anita Kalathara. I’m a South Asian actress, VO artist, and writer. I recurred on Season 3 of Doom Patrol as a member of the Sisterhood of Dada playing the character Holly otherwise known as Sleepwalk. Most recently, I acted in India Sweets & Spices which is out on Demand now and premiered at Tribeca earlier this year. I also currently voice Laguna Tidepool in Trollstopia on Hulu.

Tell us more about your character Holly McKenzie a.k.a. Sleepwalk on DOOM PATROL. What drew you to this role?

When I first auditioned for Holly on Doom Patrol I remember the breakdown saying she loves long naps and is the life of the party, she’s the “light-hearted ne’er do well.” I LOVED that description because I in real life can fall asleep anywhere and I loved how much fun the character seemed. I remember having so much fun with the audition itself, I was so happy to have gotten a role where I could play so much.

Bottom: SARAH REGENSBURGER, Jewelry: TC URBAN COUTURE, Boots: PSKAUFMAN

How would you describe the show?

The show is a crazy kooky fun show with a lot of heart. I actually only started watching the show after I was booked and I am so glad I did because it really is a hidden gem. It takes you along this wild ride with characters you love but gives you so much backstory with flawed real characters in very unordinary circumstances.

What’s the most challenging part of doing this role?

The unique thing about being on such a massive set with lots of sets, set pieces, and cameras was getting the choreography down. Sometimes we would only get a certain number of takes to get something perfect so we really had to nail it on the first couple of takes. This made some scenes pretty difficult but Omar, our director really made sure we got extra time in to rehearse and we did. We really took a lot of time rehearsing every little bit so when it was game time we got the shots we needed. I remember the cafeteria scene in episode 1917 Patrol was crazy chaotic. We were overtime we had a really short window to shoot this massive scene with so many moving parts and a giant fan that sounded like an airplane landing blowing at us. It was a nutty night but we did it! Thankfully with my other Sisterhood family, we rehearsed and helped each other through it and got a really magical scene!

What’s the proudest moment of your career so far?

That’s a tough one. I’ve had a lot of proud moments this year. Doom Patrol coming out was a big one and having so many of my friends and family love the show and be able to watch it was pretty amazing. Also a highlight this year was having a movie premiere in my home city, NY. India Sweets & Spices premiered at Tribeca this past year and I went to the festival, my whole family got to be there at the screening in NYC and it was amazing, Had a Q&A after and my family got to watch and be there for that homecoming. I started going to festivals in NY and LA years ago because I loved watching actors' careers grow and supporting independent film, and to be at one of the big ones was kind of a full-circle moment. It was pretty incredible!

What inspires you?

My parents inspire me a lot.

They came over from a country where they had a pretty good life to start from the bottom over in America and work their way up. They really did start from the bottom going to school in the US and all that to get where they got. My dad, he went from restaurant manager to lawyer and it was pretty incredible to see that he never gave up even during our hardest times financially. They really inspire me to believe you can do anything.

What scares you?

I have a love/hate relationship with horror movies. I love them but then I’m scared for days whenever I’m by myself. Especially because it’s pretty hard for me to see without my glasses or contacts. So at night, I start seeing things that aren’t there and it gets weird. I’m so picky now about when I watch them now.

Guilty pleasure?

Cheesy romcoms. I was all rom coms no matter how bad they are I will watch it. I don’t know why this is but I can’t help myself they’re addictive. As a writer, it’s also my favorite genre to write so maybe I’m secretly doing it as research. But also maybe not.

Suit: ANGELIKA JÓZEFCZYK, Jewelry: TC URBAN COUTURE, Necklace: 8OTHERREASONS, Earrings: 8OTHERREASONS, Shoes: KAT MACONIE

Name your top 5 favorite films of all time

The Sandlot, How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days, Titanic, The Lion King, Lagaan (Bollywood film)

Last song that got stuck in your head

Lost by Frank Ocean. Love the channel Orange album and I got to see him perform the whole album so it’s burned into my brain.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

A teacher of mine told me that things will happen when you get out of your own way. Sometimes we self-sabotage because we don’t think we’re ready for the good that’s coming our way. And once you get over that, things kind of just work out. I found that to be huge and very true for me. Once I believe I was worthy of good things, they started happening.

What’s your ultimate goal?

My ultimate goal is to follow in the steps of female powerhouses like Issa Rae and Mindy Kaling. I would love to star in the coming-of-age feature that I finished writing and continue to act, write and produce projects I care about that feature stories from perspectives we don’t see enough of. I want to focus on bringing more representation that highlights diverse casts and stories.

What are your dream projects?

As for acting aside from my own feature that’s a coming of age with romantic elements I would LOVE to star in anything involving me having superpowers or magic. I love fantasy and it would be so cool to do something in that space. I’m a Harry Potter-obsessed kid who also loves superheroes so anything in those realms would be goals.

Is there a skill / talent that a lot of people don’t know about you?

I’ve started to share it a lot more recently but I’ve been doing kickboxing for years and I’m pretty good at it. Actually, I sent a video of me doing some Muy Thai in my submission tape for the role of Holly. They wanted to see if she could fight and kick and I did a little video of me doing some combos and sent it in!