I think as women, you know, if you are considered a pioneer in these things, you can get really distracted by these other things - you know, people's demands of you reflecting on your otherness. And for this white critic to say, "I don't understand why she doesn't do that" - and you're like, "It's because I'm running a show on a major network and I want the show to continue" - and to sort of guilt me.
Mindy KalingThere are little Indian girls out there who look up to me, and I never want to belittle the honor of being an inspiration to them. But while Iโm talking about why Iโm so different, white male show runners get to talk about their art. I always get asked, โWhere do you get your confidence?โ I think people are well meaning, but itโs pretty insulting. Because what it means to me is, โYou, Mindy Kaling, have all the trappings of a very marginalized person. Youโre not skinny, youโre not white, youโre a woman. Why on earth would you feel like youโre worth anything?โ
Mindy KalingWhen people call me either a girl crush or their best friend, like, the best friend they want, that's, to me, the best compliment anyone could ever give me.
Mindy KalingI don't have very much time to surf the net, because it's as though my boss has a tracking device on me. The instant I'm looking at a Chloe sweater on Shopbop, I'll get a call in my office with a PA asking: "Paul wants to know where you are and why you're not in the writers room, and if maybe you're online shopping."
Mindy KalingTwitter is the most amazing medium for a comedy writer. I can't get in every idea I want on the show no matter how hard I try to bully the other writers, so it's a way of me getting out other comic ideas and immediately getting feedback.
Mindy KalingHere's my feeling: For everyone, men and women, it's important to be a feminist. It's important to have female characters. It's wonderful for women to mentor other women, but it's just as important for women to mentor men and vice-versa. In my line of work, having Greg Daniels be such a great mentor to me is fantastic. Finding a writer's assistant, be it a man or a woman, and encouraging them to think with a feminist perspective, is key.
Mindy Kaling