Amita Rao on 'Adults' Season 2, Clowning, and Her Psyop Rumor
In a recent interview with CULTURED, Amita Rao, known for her role in 'Adults', reflects on the upcoming second season, her comedic beginnings, and future aspirations. Hailing from Centreville, Virginia, she started her comedy journey in high school and later attended Virginia Commonwealth University, where she co-founded the comedy troupe Gag Reflex alongside Chelsea Matkins. The duo toured with Second City in Chicago. Rao's television credits include 'Emperor of Ocean Park', 'Deli Boys', and her current role as Issa in the Gen Z sitcom 'Adults'. Passionate about physical comedy, she participated in a workshop led by Aitor Basauri and recently worked on 'See Bot Run', a horror comedy directed by Kevin Noonan. Influenced by Bo Burnham and Miranda July, she emphasizes the importance of intuition and learning from failure.
Key facts
- Amita Rao stars as Issa in the TV show 'Adults', which is entering its second season.
- Rao co-founded comedy group Gag Reflex with Chelsea Matkins at Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts.
- She toured with Second City in Chicago.
- Rao had successful auditions for 'Emperor of Ocean Park', 'Deli Boys', and 'Adults'.
- The show 'Adults' is part of a new crop of Gen Z sitcoms including 'Overcompensating' and 'I Love LA'.
- Rao took a clowning workshop with Aitor Basauri of Spymonkey.
- She filmed a horror comedy called 'See Bot Run' by Kevin Noonan.
- Rao cites Bo Burnham and Miranda July as inspirations.
- Mentors include Nick Kroll and Sakina Jaffrey.
- Rao suggests starting a rumor that she is a psyop or that she is actually white.
Entities
Artists
- Amita Rao
- Chelsea Matkins
- Bo Burnham
- Miranda July
- Nick Kroll
- Sakina Jaffrey
- Aitor Basauri
- Kevin Noonan
- Maya Hawke
- Lewis Pullman
Institutions
- CULTURED
- Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts
- Second City
- Spymonkey
- SNL
Locations
- Centreville
- Virginia
- Chicago
- New York
- Queens