“Never Have I Ever” actress, Richa Shukla Moorjani, was raised in a primarily vegan South Asian family living in California, but it was when she learned more about how animals are treated in factory farms after watching the movie Cowspiracy in 2019, that she fully committed to avoiding all animal products.  

In the hit Netflix comedy series “Never Have I Ever”, Moorjani plays the role of Kamala, a cousin staying with her American family while studying for a PhD in Biology at CalTech, who is on a mission to follow her passion and find her voice while balancing her family’s traditional expectations.  In real life, Moorjani has followed a similar path, first moving to Mumbai after graduation from college, to pursue a career in Bollywood, but then returning to California to take on roles in The Mindy Project, NCIS: Los Angeles, and 9-1-1, before responding to a call for Indian actors to audition for “Never Have I Ever”.  

In Hollywood, she has made it her mission to insist on only consuming and using vegan products. She requires all food consumed during the filming of the series to be vegan, and that all her make-up and hair products and her clothing is vegan too.  She has even turned down invitations to big brand partnerships or events that don’t align with her values.

  “It’s so important to send a message to these brands that until they start incorporating more plant-based and compassionate alternatives, more and more people who are aware—and care—are going to say no.” she says.  

She’s been amazed by how many vegan options she’s been able to find while traveling, even in places where she would least expect it, such as Qatar airport where she found a vegan and organic café. She also loves many of the new vegan products that are on the market, such as Just Egg, Oatly’s oat milk, Sown coffee creamer, Miyoko’s Creamery vegan mozzarella, and Kite Hill’s cream cheeses and yogurts.