It isn’t just the Sharma family that left a mark on the ton. Actress Charithra Chandran, who plays the role of Edwina Sharma in Bridgerton is also winning fans’ hearts with her flawless execution of the character. Hence, it came as a surprise to all of us when Chandran talked about how she wouldn’t have been an actor if it weren’t for the pandemic. Here’s how things went down.

Charithra Chandran and her life before the pandemic

Growing up, the Bridgerton star had always been inclined towards acting. It was something that came naturally to her. Unlike many others who look at it as a relatively interesting career compared to a 9 to 5, Chandran pursued acting solely because it interested her. She had taken up acting, singing, dancing, and other activities related to theater from a very young age.

Just as most “traditional” minded parents are, Chandran’s parents wanted her to focus on a more stable career, something artists, unfortunately, rarely find. Just like Edwina Sheffield, Chandran too is what one would describe as academe. She made sure she put most of her energy into her studies and eventually got a degree in philosophy, politics, and economics from the University of Oxford. Quite the feat!

This very university is what brought back acting into the life of Charithra Chandran. Since her university was well-funded in terms of drama and theater, she found her interests aligning their way back into her life. By the time she graduated, she had ended up spending more time acting than she did actually studying. Nonetheless, Chandran got a corporate job at a consultancy firm. However, things changed during the pandemic.

How did the pandemic affect the actress’ career?

There is not a single person left whose life didn’t drastically change after COVID fear took over the world. We were all locked up inside our homes with too much time on our hands. Chandran was no different. However, unlike most of us who have mostly gone back to our pre-lockdown routine, Chandran decided she needed a change.

It was during the initial stages of the lockdown that Chandran took a step back from her corporate job. She took time to analyze what she was doing with her life and accepted that acting truly was her calling. Soon, she quit her job and began cold-emailing acting agencies across London. She got answers from many and chose her favorite among them and the rest is history.

It has only been two years since Charithra Chandran made this change. However, she has already worked with two major streaming services. Her debut project was Alex Rider (Amazon Prime) and her latest role is that of the very popular Edwina Sharma from the Netflix Original, Bridgerton.

Although she hasn’t revealed much of her future plans, fans are sure they will be seeing this actress in many more roles just as intriguing as Edwina.

ALS OREAD: “If people feel an emotion, I think we’ve done our job right” Says Charithra Chandran on Divided Fan Reactions for Edwina and Bridgerton Season 2

Stream Bridgerton on Netflix now!