Warning: This article contains spoilers for almost every episode. I never Season 4, especially the ‘ship-related’ ones.
Halfway through my conversation with Jaren Lewison, who plays the ambitious, sometimes tough Ben Gross in Netflix’s popular come-of-age comedy. I never“Slow down” I wanted to whisper.
It’s not that he talks particularly fast – although the pace at which this 22-year-old’s mind works seems to match that of his character in the show. The only question that lingered in my mind was a very “thirties” question: How can a 22-year-old man be an actor, a University of Southern California graduate, and a home baker and still conscious at the same time? (I remember reading that he also lifts barbells as we speak – seriously, what’s going on?)
Lewison’s life for the past few years has simply been busy. When you decided to enroll in college while filming I never did Series creators Mindy Kaling and Lang Fisher have apparently offered to call the school to vouch for him if and whenever the show interferes with the school, should their chosen one, Ben Gross, need it. He was happy to report that they never had to.
As I was overcome by my envy of success (and my curious desire to warn against burnout), Lewison interrupted his thoughts. While we were filming, we were talking about what it was like for him to get a psychology degree from USC. I never did and he had just said that he felt lucky to be in that position. Then she corrected it: Maybe it’s better to say you’re grateful for doing this. set yourself up to be in that position.
“I’ve always been told that I should appreciate my own hard work a little more than I sometimes do,” Lewison said. “So I’m going to give myself a little boost for that. Otherwise, I think Maitreyi [Ramakrishnan, who plays Never Have I Ever protagonist Devi Vishwakumar] He’s going to read this interview and yell at me for not saying I’m proud of myself.”
OK, he’ll be fine.
For the four seasons I never star disciple and raising the ball of anger, Devi Vishwakumar has warmed our hearts and made us cry as she learned to process her grief over her father’s sudden death. The series is easily one of Netflix’s best originals, and viewers flocked to the series for its thoughtful writing that emphasized the importance of quitting above all else. From the very beginning of the series, Ben has been Devi’s fiercest rival, and sometimes her truest ally. For Lewison, this role was more than an incredible career opportunity; Ben Gross has also become a useful tool for self-reflection.
This season marks the final year of the Sherman Oaks High School gang, the time that everyone puts their cards on the table, as Lewison describes it. Between college applications, difficult goodbyes, and prom stress, it’s a time of great stress and greater potential. It’s also (finally) time for Devi to decide between her two love affairs: Ben and her dreamy ex, Paxton Hall-Yoshida (Darren Barnett). Unfortunately for the Daxton shippers, it turned out to be Ben from the start.
Lewison realizes that Ben and Devi aren’t always perfect for each other (timing is everything), but as he observes, there seems to be some kind of gravitational force there. Need proof? Receipts are in Lewison. “When there is trouble, when there are trials and tribulations, when they are under stress, they find each other,” he said.
Consider the time Devi let her self-stain Ben borrow her shirt just before her Columbia interview. And who did he choose to call when he was depressed in New York? “He’s trying to play cool and all, but he’s going to the party at Princeton and he’s literally getting punched in the face while trying to defend him and make sure he’s okay.”
Lewison noted that there was some irony in Devi’s choice, given that in the Season 2 finale Ben complained that Devi’s real choice was “always” Paxton. Looking back at this exchange, Lewison said, “It’s like, well, I don’t think so man!” then he let out a suspicious squeak.
The friendship Devi and Ben share apparently extends behind the camera as well. Ramakrishnan seems to enjoy talking about his co-star’s talent, especially his natural talent as both an actor and a leader, as Lewison encourages him to brace himself in interviews.
“He directed the set very well,” he said. “You have a lot going on your shoulders as the star of the show, and she did it with great grace and grace. In a way, we all followed in his footsteps… I mean, when you see him on stage, he’s dynamic. And I think that’s why so many people love Devi so much.”
This season brings many ups and downs for everyone in Devi’s orbit, but as a perfectionist friend Ben can understand some of her struggles better than others. (She’s the only one who understands that getting into college during regular admission rather than early admission is “for gen-pop”.)
We’ve seen the pressure Ben can put on himself throughout the series, but this season he’s found another way to deal with the brief – one that instantly makes Lewison laugh. Finally, at last, it’s time for Ben’s frenzy – or at least, getting high with school troublemaker Trent.
Lewison and Benjamin Norris, who play Trent, are close in real life, and when it comes to Lewison, Kaling and Lang couldn’t have given them better material for one of their few joint scenes in the series. “I had a really hard time not laughing and not spoiling the footage because he was so crazy.”
Lewison added that for most of the series, he joked with Ramakrishnan that it would be funny if his character was a stoner. “Then I saw the scene and was like, oh my God.”
But in the end, the fun had to end. The last day on set was actually a big party, Lewison recalled, with a long lunch period that included a DJ, food vendors, games, and a blooper reel covering the series put together by one of the show’s editors. “My cheeks hurt when I got home, I smiled a lot,” Lewison recalled. Then a wave of sadness hit.
with USC and I’ve Never Been Behind Me Lewison must join her character now to find out what happens next. There are many directors he would want to work with like Greta Gerwig, Ryan Coogler, Barry Jenkins, Mike White or Cooper Raiff of Dallas, but finding the right match is the key. And if Kaling and Fisher call again, he’ll be there with no questions asked.
Looking back to playing double duty as a full-time student and also one of the lead roles on a mega-popular series, Lewison admitted he had a lot to work with. But from Day One to the end, “I was always filled with that childlike curiosity, excitement, and positivity.” Lewison said that as excited as she was to find out who to play next, she was also eager to absorb the experience like a sponge.
And as for what he learned by looking at Ben Gross in the mirror for a while?
“Like I said, there is of course a way to deal with this kind of fraudulent syndrome,” admitted Lewison, “and I’ve worked very, very hard for it, trained for years, years and years to assert myself. It’s really hard to say, ‘Yes, I belong here.’ Yes, I’ve worked really hard.'”
As a “little planner”, Lewison has a side that struggles with the industry’s unpredictability. Now I never she came out on a high note, saying she took a hit to absorb what the moment meant—pride, uncertainty, and potential. “We’ll see what the coming years bring for me, but I think overwhelmingly I have a good feeling about it,” he said. “I really did.”
Yes, he will be fine.
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