Canadian actor Rajiv Surendra famously played Kevin Gnapoor in the teen classic film Mean Girls but his calling was portraying the lead character in Life of Pi.
In an interview with GQ Magazine, 34-year old, Surendran, who is of Sri Lankan Tamil descent, detailed the rigorous preparation he did to bag the role of Pi Patel in the 2012 film. He dropped out of college and travelled to India, to the location where the events of the book Life of Pi take place, for months of meticulous research.
When he returned to Canada, he learnt the project had been put on hold. So, he decided to continue his studies.
"I used college as an excuse. I’m just going to wait until they are getting Life of Pi ready and as soon as the movie is underway, if I get the part, I’ll just drop out of school again," he told GQ Magazine.
Life of Pi didn't start production for six years. The project was being passed on from one director to another.
But Surendra didn't give up. He continued his research all those years, reading up on the filmography of the directors.
And when Ang Lee finally took the film, he chose another actor-- Suraj Sharma -- to play Pi.
Surendra was shattered.
For years, he had been building the character of Pi within him, and upon being rejected, he felt traumatised, "dead inside".
"By the end of those years, that (Pi) was a real person inside of me," he told GQ. "When I got the email saying I didn’t get the part, I felt like that person just died instantly. It was traumatic."
Surendra said it took him weeks to process the shock.
Life of Pi went on to become a huge success, winning four Oscars, including Best Director for Ang Lee.
The film is an epic journey of self-discovery for a young man stranded at sea.
Surendra didn't get his part but the life-altering experience inspired him to a write his memoir The Elephants in My Backyard.
He also tried a couple of other jobs -- working at a bank and being a nanny.
At present, he runs a YouTube channel where he posts cooking tutorials for traditional Sri Lankan Tamil food.
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