Indo-Russian actress Annet Mahendru on neutral ground
Karishma Upadhyay
In the early years of her career, Annet Mahendru, an Indian-Russian actress, never fit Hollywood's template to play a Russian character. "I wasn't blonde or blue-eyed, so I wasn't 'Russian enough'," says the 35-year-old. Things changed, though, when actor-director Adam Arkin, who was helming the first season of a period spy drama, The Americans (2013-2018), came across her show-reel on IMDB and she booked her first big gig—the role of Nina Krilova, a KGB spy. What started out as a recurring character quickly went on to become a pivotal one through the show's six-season run. The actor currently plays the character Huck on The Walking Dead: World Beyond (Amazon Prime Video), a spin-off of the popular post-apocalyptic zombie horror series, The Walking Dead (Netflix).