An actor has to give several auditions, especially in the initial days of struggle. It’s not an easy process. There are many rejections, but the day they crack one of them, it’s certainly the happiest day ever. During a recent interview on Hauterrfly’s The Male Feminist, Detective Sherdil star Diana Penty recalled her auditions for Imtiaz Ali’s Rockstar and revealed why she could not get the part of Heer. However, the actor also shared how life came full circle when she got to play Meera’s part in Cocktail, a film written by Imtiaz Ali. Read our exclusive for more.
What Did Diana Penty Say?
When The Male Feminist host Siddhaarth Aalambayan asked Diana Penty about how Cocktail happened to her, the Detective Sherdil actor said, “I was in New York, modelling, and I got a call from my agency. They told me Imtiaz Ali was looking for a new girl for his film Rocksta,r and you must meet him. Films were never on my radar, and I had never taken formal training in acting. I never had the confidence that I could be an actor one day. I never beleived that I ever would pull it off. So I flew back for the meeting. At the first meeting, I was like Wow, he is such a nice person.”
Diana Penty further added, “He had a long chat with me. He explained to me that this is the part I am looking for, looking for a new girl. I saw you in the mobile ad, and let’s do a look test.” The actress further told him that she was not trained in acting and was not confident enough. Diana Penty further recalled how Imtiaz Ali made her feel comfortable and that she was able to be very honest with him. Imtiaz Ali assured her and asked her to do the workshops, and then later decide if it was working out for her. Diana Penty then said, “After two-three weeks, Imtiaz came and told me that I was not ready to play the character, because it was a very outspoken and flamboyant character. He was also going to shoot it in a month or so, and felt that I was not ready that time.”
Diana Penty said, “I was kind of relieved because I did not feel confident. So I went back to New York and continued with my modelling.”
Diana Penty also revealed that a year later, she got a call that Dinesh Vijan was looking for a new girl. She said, “Later I found out the Cocktail’s script was written by Imtiaz, and he remembered me and suggested to them that there is a girl who would perfectly fit the character of Meera.” She said, “I did the auditions and in 24 hours, I got a call saying that I was playing the part. It didn’t sync in for the longest time. It was so nice of Imtiaz to remember.”
Well, the rest is history. You can watch the entire video here.