Photography: Leslie Hassler
When she talks to Woman’s Day, Anya Banerjee is still buzzing over an unforgettable Saturday night. After a week of filming medical drama Doc in Toronto, the Kiwi-Indian actress glammed it up for the premiere of Baz Luhrmann’s new Elvis Presley documentary.
Back in high school, it was the Aussie director’s films that “shifted molecules” and helped Anya find her calling.
She recalls, “I would watch Moulin Rouge!, Romeo + Juliet and Strictly Ballroom on repeat. It was amazing to tell him about this little girl watching his movies in New Zealand and going, ‘I want to do that.’ He was so sweet.”
But Anya, 32, didn’t just meet Baz – they ended up “throwing it down” on the after-party’s dancefloor.
Dancing through life
“That man can move,” she laughs.
“At one point, we were both squatting in the middle of a dance circle. It was insane!”
From Kolkata to Auckland
Such moments are a world away from the life her parents led when they moved to the US from Kolkata, India. Anya’s dad studied his PhD in Wisconsin, where she was born. But months later, he landed a job in Auckland, where she and her sister were raised.
Anya loved growing up with both Kiwi and Bengali culture, but she often wondered where she fit in. She’d spend hours making up stories and creating worlds where she felt she belonged. She also began doing Bengali cultural performances, ballet, school productions and Shakespeare competitions.
Finding her voice through theatre
“I was a weirdo and nobody else’s family was like mine, but I found usefulness and community in my ability to entertain,” she reflects.
“I also found an escape from the conservatism of my culture in theatre. I got to not be the good girl when I was playing characters in Kiwi productions!”
Inspired by Parminder Nagra
While a Hollywood career seemed far-fetched, Anya says seeing British-Indian actress Parminder Nagra in Bend It Like Beckham “changed my life”. In a full-circle moment, she later played the daughter of Parminder’s character on The Blacklist.
But first, her parents insisted she attend university. While earning her Masters in English literature, Anya continued acting with directors like Michael Hurst and studying with acting coach Dame Miranda Harcourt, which helped her get into the Columbia University School of the Arts in New York at age 23.
Love and life at columbia
It was there she met her classmate-turned-boyfriend Clayton McInerney.
Anya muses, “Moving here was a transformation but also part of growing as a woman – being commanding, clear and unapologetic for living my life.”
Navogating a world on pause
The couple graduated amid COVID lockdowns, so with Broadway shut down, they temporarily moved to LA, where Anya was working as a theatre usher when she landed her role on The Blacklist. Suddenly she was on set opposite James Spader and learning how to shoot guns.
After the tumult of the writers’ and actors’ strikes in 2023, she was thrilled to land a role in Doc alongside Molly Parker and Party Of Five star Scott Wolf, whom Anya describes as “lovely, thoughtful and intelligent”.
Working with role models
She’s thrilled that Felicity Huffman has joined the cast for season two, grinning, “My mum and I used to watch Desperate Housewives! Felicity’s incredible. She and Molly are such role models.”
Anya plays Dr Sonya Maitra, whose traumatic past was uncovered when a man who sexually assaulted her turned up as a patient. It was a challenging episode, with Anya describing it as the “most emotionally raw and truthful moment of my career”.
Season two continues exploring Sonya’s past and she’s grateful producers have embraced her heritage – Anya even gets to speak Bengali in one episode.
Celebrating her heritage on screen
She says, “Sitting next to Felicity and speaking my own language was surreal. I thought, ‘I’m contributing to culture right now!’”
The same mixed heritage that saw her grapple with her identity as a kid has now given Anya her greatest drive.
She adds, “When I was young, I tried to assimilate and be more like the white kids. It’s been a long journey from that shame around being Indian to pushing for representation. “My little sister’s my screensaver and whenever I’m tired or struggling, I see her and am reminded I’m creating the role models for brown girls that I didn’t have growing up.”
Celebrating her heritage on screen
Although being apart from Clayton while she’s based in Toronto for Doc is challenging. She sees their ability to work together as a beautiful part of their seven-year relationship.
“The fact we’ve been able to support one another through the highs and lows of each other’s careers has been great.”
The couple spent last Christmas with Anya’s family exploring Rotorua, snorkelling at Goat Island and devouring homemade Bengali meals. Meanwhile, Anya’s parents are happy she’s able to pay her bills while pursuing her dream job.
“And they get to pretend their daughter’s a doctor!”
Doc is now streaming on TVNZ+.
