In the early episodes of Amazon Prime Video’s Do You Wanna Partner, Diana Penty’s Anahita Makujina — a sharp finance executive — is told to her face that her smile is what helps close deals. Reductionist? Absolutely. Unheard of? Sadly not.
It’s a moment that reflects what many women face, onscreen and off. And for Penty, who stars opposite Tamannaah Bhatia in the buddy-comedy series, it struck a chord.
In a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter India, Penty spoke about her own journey of refusing to let other people’s expectations define her. “When I started out in the industry, there were all these different people from different places telling me how I needed to be in order to survive,” she said.
“I’ve always been a bit shy, a bit of an introvert, not much of a people’s person, per se. So I tried to take their advice — be easier to talk to, walk into a room a certain way, say the right things. I attempted it, and after many years I realised it was such an effort. It was exhausting to be somebody that you’re not.”
Her realisation came with a dramatic shift in perspective: “Eventually I was just like, screw that. I’m going to be me. Take it or leave it. If that means stupid jokes every now and then, or being sarcastic — that’s who I am. People don’t always get it, and I kept feeling this pressure to be more polite, more affable, more friendly. But after a point I realised it’s not sustainable in the long run. It took a toll on me.”
Penty says it was a tipping point. “If you don’t want to give me a film because of the kind of person I am, then it doesn’t matter to you what kind of actor I am. And that’s fine. I was finally able to say: I’m going to be myself. It may mean not being liked by too many people, but I’ve made peace with that.”
