Arguably best known for her character in the hit sitcom The Office, Mindy Kaling has made quite the career for herself. As an actress, writer, and producer, Kaling has been attached to many successful films and TV shows. In addition to her on-screen efforts, she has also put in voice acting work, including the 2016 Academy Award-winning animated film Inside Out and Wreck-It Ralph. She has also appeared in many comedic movies, including Late Night in which she starred alongside Emma Thompson.
Kaling has both produced, created, and starred in her own TV show, The Mindy Project, a romance-comedy series that ran for six seasons. In fact, Kaling was a producer for many episodes of The Office as well. Her writing roles have included the Netflix show Never Have I Ever, whose third season, per Deadline, is set to drop later this year. Kaling is also attached to the upcoming Legally Blonde 3 film. With many upcoming projects highlighting her acting, screenwriting, and producing credits, let’s take a look at some of Kaling’s best acting performances.
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6 Ocean’s Eight
Warner Bros.
In this 2018 crime drama, Debbie Ocean, played by Sandra Bullock, forms an all-women crew to attempt a heist at the Met Gala Ball in New York City. She teams up with her former partner-in-crime Lou, played by Cate Blanchett, and five other women to pull off the heist of stealing a $150 million Cartier necklace.
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MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
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In the film, Kaling plays Amita, a jewelry maker who is eager to start her own life out of her mother’s house. Ocean’s 8 is a clever film packed with a star-studded cast. It’s a great addition to the Ocean’s franchise, which starred George Clooney as the Danny Ocean to Bullock’s Debbie Ocean.
5 Monsters At Work
Disney Television Animation
Kaling joins Billy Crystal and John Goodman in Disney’s Monsters at Work, a 2021 TV series modeled after the popular Monsters Inc. film. While Mike and Sully take a back seat to newcomer Tylor, played by Ben Feldman, their banter is still very present in this animated comedy. Tylor was hired as a scarer the day before Mr. Waternoose was fired. Now, under the direction of Mike and Sully, he needs to learn how to be a jokester. Kaling provides the voice of Val, another new character who helps Tylor in his journey to find his inner funny. Fans have compared this TV series to that of an animated version of The Office, which also starred Kaling.
4 Late Night
FilmNation Entertainment
Kaling is no stranger to starring as a supporting character, but in the 2019 comedy Late Night, we get to see Kaling as the main character. Acting alongside Emma Thompson, Kaling’s Molly Patel is brought in to help boost ratings for Thompson’s Katherine Newbury’s late-night talk show. She is determined to help revitalize the host’s career before it gets shut down. Molly is the lone female writer brought in after Katherine is called out for supposedly hating young women. Molly is tasked with not only working with her hero, but also helping soften the demanding and cold Katherine. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Kaling wrote the screenplay specifically for Thompson before even meeter her, something she said was a “stupid thing to do.”
3 Inside Out
Disney / Pixar
In this Disney Pixar 2015 animated film, Kaling plays Disgust, an emotion that lives inside Riley’s mind. She is not the only emotion, though; she is accompanied by Joy (Amy Poehler), Fear (Bill Hader), Anger (Lewis Black), and Sadness (Phyllis Smith). In the control center aka the brain, these emotions live and work together to help the young Riley through her life, which is uprooted when her parents force her to move to San Francisco. Together, the emotions battle dealing with a new school, friends, and a whole new city.
Inside Out is atop the list for best Disney Pixar film. Full of laughs and serious moments, the touching film is one that all ages can relate to. Bringing the emotions to life as a character is a unique concept that worked very well in this film. Kaling’s performance as Disgust was hilarious and quite true, at least where the broccoli was concerned.
2 The Office
NBC
It’s no secret that the hit show, The Office, was a career-booster for many comedic actors, Kaling included. The mockumentary followed a group of your typical office workers throughout the workday. Kaling’s character, Kelly Kapoor, started out in the first season, but it wasn’t until the second that she became a regular in every episode. From 2005 to 2013, her character is a customer service representative for Dunder Mifflin. From her first appearance, where she slapped Michael for speaking to her in an Indian accent, to her last in season eight, where she leaves to get married, she helped provide many memorable comedic moments for the popular show.
1 The Mindy Project
Fox
While her role in The Office may be what she is best known for, it seems wrong to not showcase her abilities for her self-titled show, The Mindy Project, which she wrote, produced, and starred in. The show ran from 2012 to 2017, and centered around her character, Mindy, who is OB/GYN doctor, and the other doctors in the practice. Between balancing her professional and personal life, the young doctor has her work cut out for her. The show originally started on FOX until Hulu revived the show for three additional seasons. After the success of The Office, fans were able to see a lot of similarities in her new show. The main difference is that it focuses a little less on “office life” and more on single-girl life.
