The series Fargo is back for a 5th season to discover on CANAL+ and myCANAL. Although this success seems to have succeeded in attracting many stars over the years, one of them almost missed out on this opportunity!
For its 5th season launched on January 18 on CANAL+ with the broadcast of two captivating episodes, the cult series Fargo once again offers itself an exceptional cast of which it alone has the secret. After Martin Freeman, Allison Tolman, Kirsten Dunst, Ewan McGregor and Chris Rock, it is the turn of Juno Temple, Jon Hamm, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Joe Keery, Richa Moorjani and Lamorne Morris to take over.
And yet one of these stars almost missed his chance and skipped his audition. A scheduling problem or a last-minute unforeseen event? No, the reason is quite different: it was actually a lack of self-confidence that almost cost viewers the brilliant performance of Richa Moorjani, who plays police officer Indira Olmstead on screen.
“I fell in love with the world of Fargo”
Mainly known to spectators for having played Kamala Nandiwadal, Devi’s endearing cousin, in the series My First Times, Richa Moorjani did not feel up to this role, very far from her previous projects: “I didn’t think I was cut out for this role. I had never seen Fargo and had no idea how to speak with a Minnesota accent. It was so different from anything I had ever done before. It was just a lack of confidence to be honest.”
FX
The actress was fortunately able to count on the support of two people around her who managed to convince her to try her luck, the first being her manager and the second, Poorna Jagannathan, her co-star in My First Times and the one of her closest friends.
Concerning the latter, Richa Moorjani says she encouraged her to audition for the same role before receiving the offer herself. Poorna Jagannathan was just as worried as she was about going there, and Richa Moorjani immediately insisted on the importance of this approach: “You have to go, Fargo is a huge show and it’s such an exciting opportunity!”
If Poorna Jagannathan was obviously not chosen, she did not hesitate for a single second to support her friend in return: “You pushed me to go, so now it’s your turn!” Very good advice which allowed Richa Moorjani to join the long list of remarkable actors who have passed through Fargo!
FX
Once her initial apprehension was behind her, the actress also tried everything by writing a letter to Noah Hawley, the creator of the series, after having communicated with him by video following her audition. A discussion which strongly reinforced his desire to be part of this 5th season:
“I went from not wanting to audition to writing a letter to Noah Hawley telling him to cast me. And I’ve never done this before, but it shows you how much I wanted this role after reading the script and falling in love with the characters and the world of Fargo,” she explains.
Her burst of bravery was also rewarded, since Richa Moorjani brilliantly plays today one of the heroines of this new burst of episodes, opposite Juno Temple and Jennifer Jason Leigh. Find her now in the first two episodes of season 5 of Fargo available on myCANAL, and in the sequel broadcast in 2 episodes per Thursday evening on CANAL+.
Comments collected during the press junket on November 14, 2023.