Tiya Sircar

“I am the child of Indian immigrants, both of whom have Ph.D.s and are college professors, and I'm an actor in Hollywood.”

“I've never been given an opportunity to direct, but man, I would love to try my hand at that.”

“The significance of playing a South Asian character that's a lead role in a network primetime television show is certainly not lost on me.”

“I like all kinds of food, but if I had to choose a favourite Indian cuisine, it would absolutely be Bengali! I love things like masoor dal with begun bhaja - or any type of bhaja, really - machher jhol, bhapa chingri. And how can you beat gorom, gorom rosogolla?”

“The best part of visiting Calcutta is definitely the food and seeing my relatives who I don't get to see often enough. The worst is the pollution and traffic.”

“Just getting to be a part of the 'Star Wars' universe is not something most actors anticipate as part of their careers.”

“Dave Filoni is a bit of a magician. Nothing is by accident.”

“I think you can become a 'Star Wars' fan at any point in time in your life.”

“I have to say, when I watched 'Rogue One,' I got a little verklempt. I was like, 'Look at this motley crew of people, and the lead is a female, and the rest of the dudes are all kinds ethnicities and skin tones.'”

“I'm so proud of 'Star Wars' as it is and the fact that it's making a concerted effort to be more inclusive and be more representative. Because it's 'Star Wars.' It's intergalactic. The more people who look like everyone, the better.”

“I am Indian-American, but I often play ethnically ambiguous roles.”

“I started dancing at age three and then got involved in musical theatre and acting around age seven. I think I've probably known since then that I want to be a professional actor.”

“I'm not of the mind where, 'It doesn't matter what you care about; you've got to have a safe reliable job and do the 9 to 5.' I obviously don't subscribe to that. There's nothing wrong with that, though, if that's what you want to do.”

“It's rare, in my opinion, that we get to see someone who is in his late thirties, with a wife and children who he has to support, realizing that what he is doing is not fulfilling him in a way that he really wants. He knows what will and he goes after it.”

“If I didn't love acting, I would love to work at Google... if they'd have me. They have the coolest perks a workplace can have.”

“I just didn't see any toys that looked like me when I was a kid.”

“I've been told that I might make a good producer because I am very Type A, and I'm kind of a control freak, so I've been told that that might translate well into producing, so I would certainly be open to trying my hand at that.”

“It's a universal desire to love and to be loved and, despite trying circumstances, to still fight for the good.”

“If there is something that you are passionate about, you don't have to wait to try and pursue that dream.”

“Without imagination and without love, life can be pretty bleak. I think having both will get you through the most dire of situations.”