‘Never Have I Ever’ stars say it's ‘terrifying’ to leave the show behind

Warning: This post contains spoilers from the series finale of “Never Have I Ever.”

On June 8, Netflix released the fourth and final season of “Never Have I Ever” — meaning that after three short years, it is time to say goodbye to cherished characters, like Devi Vishwakumar, her mom Dr. Nalini Vishwakumar, cousin Kamala and friends Eleanor Wong and Fabiola Torres.

Since the Netflix series — co-created by Mindy Kaling and Lang Fisher — was released in 2020, fans around the world have fallen in love with South Asian teen Devi, played by Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, and followed her journey as she confronted her grief about her deceased father and found love.

In the series finale, Devi’s mom, portrayed by Poorna Jagannathan, repeatedly asks the recent high school graduate to pack her bags before she departs to Princeton University. Devi struggles deciding what she wants to take from her current life into her next chapter. Luckily, she has a welcome distraction with grandmother Nirmala’s (Ranjita Chakravarty) wedding.

One of the last scenes of the series features a rare moment when all the characters come together. They dance and even play a quick round of the game Never Have I Ever. The nuptials and Devi’s suitcase represent the characters’ last hurrah together before they head in separate directions.

Devi and Ben continue their romance on the east coast at Columbia and Princeton; Nalini stays in Sherman Oaks with her new beau, Andres; Fabiola attends Howard University and is involved in the robotics program; Eleanor and her boyfriend, Trent, launch a production company; Paxton has a new girlfriend and enrolls again at Arizona State University; and Kamala moves to Maryland with her boyfriend to help run a science program.

Behind-the-scenes, the cast were also shooting their final moments before filming wrapped.

Seasons Three and Four were shot back-to-back, so all the actors had months leading up to the final season to prepare their farewells. In an interview with TODAY.com, the stars of “Never Have I Ever” shared how they are still processing letting go of the popular series.

Maitreyi Ramakrishnan

Now that the time has come, star Ramakrishnan says it is “nerve-racking” leaving her breakout role behind.

“It’s a very interesting position to be in right?” she says. “You’re saying goodbye to a character that is also very big, very well known. The ‘Never Have I Ever’ property is just so larger than us ourselves. It’s a big thing to let go.”

At the same time, moving on and venturing into the unknown is also “exciting,” she shares.

The 21-year-old actor explains, “You don’t know what it’s gonna give. You don’t know where life is gonna go. Just like the characters don’t know, neither do we.”

Instead of being afraid, she is trying to lean into the uncertainty. “I try to embrace the unknown and then that helps push away the nerves,” she says.

Richa Moorjani

Richa Moorjani, who portrays Kamala Nandiwadal, had a different perspective, calling it “terrifying” to walk away.

“As we keep saying, we’ve never had a show like this. We’ve never had an opportunity like this as South Asian actors,” she points out. “And it is terrifying to leave this and not know if we’ll ever have something like this again.”

Moorjani, 34, praises “Never Have I Ever” for allowing the actors to be their “full authentic selves” and she wonders if that will be possible in the future. But, she remains optimistic.

“It’s scary and it’s sad but also I’m just so grateful to have been a part of it. I do have hope that it has created change in this industry and it will continue to pave the path for other people,” she says.

Ramona Young

Moorjani’s last scene was the wedding celebration, where Devi and Kamala dance a Bollywood routine together. Ramona Young, who plays Eleanor Wong, recalls being emotional on Moorjani’s final day.

“I bawled,” Young, 25, shares. “I was like, ‘Richa!’ I fell to my knees, like it was so dramatic.”

Speaking about her character’s sendoff, Young describes the feeling as “bittersweet.”

She says, “It was so comforting, like, getting to show up on set and being friends and family with all the people that you work with and having that safe place. But then also the unknown was inevitable. It was sad. There was nothing you could do about it, but to just be grateful that it happened.”

Jaren Lewison

While some cast members are welcoming the “unknown,” Jaren Lewison, who plays Ben Gross, acknowledges that he does not handle change well.

Despite being in a profession that requires him to take on different roles, Lewison, 22, shares he is “still learning” how to navigate the life of an actor.

He says, “It is scary saying goodbye to this character that is so well known, to say goodbye to the show that has been so well known.”

Lewison mentions that the Netflix drama streams all over the world, which created a dedicated and passionate fan base.

“I don’t know if I’ll ever find that again,” he says. “But I think that I’m also an optimistic person. I believe in others and in the people around me and in myself. I’m hopeful and cautiously optimistic that everything will be really positive in the future.”

Darren Barnet

Darren Barnet, 32, seems to be on the opposite end of the scale. He shares a go-with-the-flow attitude with his character, Paxton Hall-Yoshida.

Barnet explains that he became an actor because of the unpredictability. “You never know what mountain you need to climb, what the next role is going to be,” he says.

He continues, “It’s scary. It’s not stable by any means. But what it is, and what it’s not…you’ve got to embrace the chaos.”

Lee Rodriguez

Lee Rodriguez has a practical mindset, too. When asked about closing this chapter, the 23-year-old responds with an adage.

“All good things come to an end,” Rodriguez says. “So saying goodbye was hard, but I feel like we’ll stay in touch. You know, have this shared experience. And it’ll be a great memory forever.”

Poorna Jagannathan

For Jagannathan, reading the outcome for each character helped her feel comfortable ending the show after four seasons.

“The writing was so good that by the time I reached the end, I too was ready,” Jagannathan, 50, says. “It was so good. Everyone gets the ending they deserve and although I was sad to let something go, it felt right.”

She concluded, “The period landed at the right place. I’ve literally been on shows where that’s not the case. But I feel like on the show, it felt right.”

This article was originally published on TODAY.com