"Belinda is more than a sidekick" Doctor Who's Varada Sethu on her on-screen relationship with Ncuti Gatwa

As most actors will tell you, it’s a career of frequent rejection. Very rarely would you find yourself walking into a casting and leaving with an iconic role in one of British television’s longest-running, and most well-known, series. Yet that is exactly what happened to Varada Sethu when she received a phone call from showrunner Russell T. Davis, asking her to audition for Doctor Who. “I went in and it became obvious within a few minutes that they were offering me the job. I couldn’t believe it,” she tells Cosmopolitan UK. “I put it in the family group chat immediately.”

Sethu is starring as the Time Lord’s newest companion in the fifteenth season of Doctor Who alongside Ncuti Gatwa’s The Doctor as Belinda Chandra. The role couldn’t have come at a better time for the 32-year-old, who had just returned home from travelling when the TV and film industry came to a halt due to the SAG-AFTRA strikes in 2023, leaving her unemployed.

“I thought, ‘Oh my God, I’m not going to work again.' I’d just lost out on a job I really wanted. I was in a low place; it’s hard not to take it personally as an actor,” she reflects. “But, it was honestly divine intervention as there was no way I could have done that job and [Doctor Who].”

In the new season of the beloved BBC and Disney+ sci-fi series, Sethu plays the quick-witted, brave and independent Belinda who is far from a sidekick, and more of an equal to The Doctor. We’re talking with Sethu over Zoom from her London home, just days before the series premieres, so how is she feeling in the lead up to the series airing?

“At the beginning of this year when we began publicity, I felt really anxious, as I don’t have control over it once it’s out there,” she admits. “But the more I’ve sat with those feelings, the more ready I am for the world to meet Belinda and see the new season.” Plus, playing Belinda is not Sethu’s first foray into sci-fi, having played Cinta Kaz in the Star Wars spin-off series, Andor, and guest starring in an episode of Doctor Who titled Boom last season, which led to Davis thinking of Sethu when they began the audition process.

Growing up, Sethu was not particularly sci-fi obsessed. A self-described hyperactive child, she was born in Kerala, India with her extended family (“like lots of Indians, there were multiple generations in a household so around 10 or 12 people.”). Her first introduction to acting was through watching Bollywood and Malayalam (the language and movie industry of Kerala and surrounding areas) cinema with her family.

When she was six years old, she moved to Britain with her parents and twin sister, which came as a bit of a “culture shock” for her, as a child from a large community. Thankfully, her love for the arts persisted, partially inspired by her parents. “My parents are both doctors, but my dad sings and my mum dances, so I grew up watching them perform at family events. Performing is in my blood,” she shared.

Despite Sethu developing her love for acting at school, she went on to pursue science, and studied to be a vet at university. “I didn’t think it was possible for me to [be an actor] as a brown person. But, I always knew this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, and I can’t believe I now get to call this my job.” Still, Sethu’s love for animals persists, highlighted when her cat tries to escape out of a barely-cracked window during our interview – a relatable panic for most feline parents, me included.

When asked about working with her co-star and now friend, Ncuti Gatwa, Sethu warmly smiles. “He makes it so easy to believe that we’re on this alien planet together. It’s like playing pretend with your best friend.” What did they get up to when the cameras weren’t rolling? “We gossiped a lot” she laughs. “It’s quite mad where you’re telling a really juicy bit of gossip, then you’ve got to go pretend we’re talking to robots, but you’re in the middle of a story and have to finish it!”

Despite the hysteria surrounding Doctor Who, Sethu is treating it like any other project she is involved in; though she doesn’t underestimate the importance of her character for a moment. “It means a lot to me that I get to represent [south Asians], but what I love the most is that it’s not made a big deal of in the show and we’re able to focus on the story,” she shares.

As for how she deals with negative comments towards her casting, (including ridiculous "too woke" sentiments), she says, “In the past, I don’t think I would’ve dealt with it well. This show has come into my life at a great time as I’ve worked hard on myself to accept that people will have different opinions of me. There are as many opinions in the world as there are people. I take both the good and the bad with a pinch of salt, it’s just somebody else’s opinion.”

On what she’s most excited for fans to see, Sethu says, “My favourite part of the season is the relationship between The Doctor and Belinda - they love each other, take care of each other, hold each other accountable, it’s healthy. It’s easy for there to be a power imbalance, but Belinda holds her own. It’s been great to play a character that, in so many ways, embodies things I’m learning to do myself.”

“Belinda upholds boundaries, holds people accountable, confronts people. I struggle to do that in my life and the fun thing about being an actor is safely test-driving these situations. It’s put me in good stead in my personal life,” Sethu reflects. “I hope fans love her and find Belinda as strong and as brave as I do. Being an actor is a constant exploration of being human, and with each character, I get to learn something about myself.”

Doctor Who is airing on BBC iPlayer and Disney+ from 12^th April.