‘Not responding to hate has been my best move’: Sunny Leone analyses her career, life as her film Kennedy goes to Cannes

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Sunny Leone (@sunnyleone)

When asked how Kennedy happened and how Anurag Kashyap thought of her as Charlie, Sunny shared, “I got a call from him about Charlie’s role and that he would like me to audition. I was in shock that he called me and wanted me to audition. There is a common misconception that I am not comfortable with auditioning. So, I said that I would absolutely love to get the opportunity and I have no issues with auditioning at all, especially since I have to believe in myself that I can pull this off.”

Describing her audition as “nerve-wracking”, Sunny revealed, “I was extremely nervous when I walked into his office, he had his entire office, his entire crew sitting for the audition. It was this idea of possibly getting rejected and that maybe I was not ready for that emotionally. But I put my best foot forward and Rahul (Bhat) was there as well and it went really well, he is so nice. I always tell Anurag that I am so thankful that he picked up the phone and called, that doesn’t happen very often. So, it was a really proud moment to just be a part of the film.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Sunny Leone (@sunnyleone)

In one of her earlier interviews with indianexpress.com, Sunny had opened up about how she had typecast herself and people expect her movies to be sexy and sensuous. When asked if she thinks, at this phase in her career, she has debunked the stereotype, Sunny says the idea of being glamorous or sexy is always going to be there, but now people are accepting her in varied roles.

“When we think about a certain actor or actress, we are naturally attracted to who they are, whether it’s their smile, or their body type, how they dress or how they act. I think this idea of being glamorous or sexy is a part of being an entertainer and the allure of why we like entertainers. I luckily was able to get some roles that were the complete opposite of it as well. I think that the idea of being glamorous or sexy is always going to be there but then being able to do different types of stuff that are also accepted and that is extremely important. While choosing a certain film if the role is sexy that’s fine, but there has to be something else about it so that I could showcase something else about myself. I think that there was a moment in time where a few projects came where I could showcase myself differently and it was extremely important for me.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Sunny Leone (@sunnyleone)

Sunny has come a long way. When asked if there was ever anyone in her career who told her that she would never land a film with such a revered director, the actor said, “I think that the only person that says ‘I can’t’, it would be me and my mind. I don’t know about other people, but I have been someone who believes in working and moving forward. It’s ok if I don’t work with some of these really big companies, it’s my own way of life and coping by telling myself that I’ll find my own path and figure out how to make it work. If there’s anybody that says ‘I can’t’, it would only be me because in my mind, I have never seen myself with other big actors and say that I will be able to work with somebody really really big, a big company. I think everything happens for a reason in life and I have been put in touch with the right people at the right time; everything always works out for the better.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Sunny Leone (@sunnyleone)

When Sunny entered Bollywood in 2012, she faced a lot of hate and bullying and people tried to write her off because of her earlier career as an adult film actor. How did she cope with that hate and flip the narrative? She says, “It is almost like a coping mechanism for me. There are always going to be people who put you down and say not so nice things about you but I need to worry and think about myself and how to turn all that negativity into what makes me happy. I have read lots and lots of bad articles or things that people say (about me), but you can’t let that stop you.

Sunny credits her husband, Daniel Weber, for being her wall. “I definitely, in my head, did not want to let anybody bring me down to the level that they are at. And, that, I think, comes from coping mechanisms and also comes from having a great partner (Daniel) who says the same thing. We’ve always tried to pursue that if we can’t do this then we’ll figure out a way around this. We have leaned on each other, helped each other through these bad times together. I know he probably felt alone sometimes, I also felt alone sometimes, but in the morning we wake up and say ‘alright it’s go time, lets go, we got this’. Not responding to the hate, not responding to people who are trying to bring you down has been our best response.”