Geraldine Viswanathanbroke out big time withBlockersin 2018 and even though that was her very first major Hollywood production, her talent was already undeniable. Cut to 2020 and the release of her newest feature,The Broken Hearts Gallery. Again, it was already abundantly clear that Viswanathan was mighty talented, butBroken Hearts Galleryshows off next-level comedic sensibilities, confidence and the commanding screen presence necessary to lead a feature. Viswanathan set the bar pretty high right out the gate withBlockers, but watching her hone those skills as she moves from project to project solidifies her boundless potential.
While things are moving forward for Viswanathan right now with a significant amount of momentum, getting that jumpstart took a little bit of time. During ourCollider Ladies Nightchat, Viswanathan detailed her experience making the move from Australia to Los Angeles:
“When I was 18 and I finished high school, I came to LA for six months and did acting classes and did Actors Access auditions and was just self-submitting. It’s kind of crazy to think that I did that. I did some really silly things! [Laughs] But yeah, I feel like I was just testing it out to see if that’s what I wanted to do.”
After that six-month stretch, Viswanathan had to head back to Australia. But it turns out, going back was just the reinvigoration that she needed:
“And then I went back to Sydney because I didn’t have the Visa and was auditioning there. And yeah, it was just auditioning a lot and not really getting anywhere, so that’s kind of when I started doing stand-up and I had a sketch group with some friends. And honestly, as soon as I started doing that and independent theater and just things that were fulfilling me and made me feel good and made me feeling like I was practicing and working on what I want to do and my voice.”
While working with her sketch group and doing independent theater, Viswanathan was also self-taping and that’s actually how she landed her role inBlockers:
“I remember I was at the Melbourne Comedy Festival. I had just landed, and I had landed with my sketch group, Freudian Nip. Actually, right before I got on the plane, I got a call from my agent being like, ‘They want you to go to LA and meet Kay Cannon.’ And I had left my passportin Sydney, so I had to get on the plane to Melbourne, fly straight back to Sydney and then go to LA, so it was just such a whirlwind. And I got cast like a week before we started shooting!”
Not only didBlockershave Viswanathan starring opposite well-known industry veterans likeJohn Cena,Leslie MannandIke Barinholtz, butGideon AdlonandKathryn Newtonalready had significant backgrounds in film and television as well. As the newest to Hollywood of the bunch, did that up the nerves even more for Viswanathan when she got to set? Here’s what she said:
“I think we were super lucky because we met and just sort of instantly got along. We didn’t have a chemistry read or anything, so we really just lucked out on that. But I guess, yeah, I did feel like a little bit of the wild card. I was like, ‘I’m flying in from Australia. Here I am!’ But I think very quickly those sort of nerves went away because they were just so warm and lovely.”
This right here is only a portion of Viswanathan’s journey to and through Hollywood. Check out her full episode of Collider Ladies Night to hear more about her earliest inspirations, working withHugh JackmanandAllison JanneyonBad Education, jumping into her first drama forHala, her run on the TBS seriesMiracle Workers, and so much more! You can watch the video version at the top of this article or check out the podcast version below:
