Fargo: This star of the series almost missed his role!

For its 5th season, which began on January 18th on CANAL+ with two fascinating episodes, the cult series Fargo once again offers itself an outstanding cast, the secret of which only it has. After Martin Freeman, Alison Tolman, Kirsten Dunst, Ewan McGregor and Chris Rock, it’s the turn of Juno Temple, Jon Hamm, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Joe Keery, Richa Moorjan and Lamorne Morris.

And yet, one of these stars almost missed the chance and skipped the audition. A scheduling problem or a last-minute unforeseen event? No, the reason is quite different: it was actually a lack of confidence that almost cost the audience the brilliant performance of Richa Moorjani, who plays the role of police officer Indira Olmsted on screen.

“I fell in love with the world of Fargo”

Mostly known to the audience for playing Kamala Nandiwadal, Devi’s beloved cousin, in the TV series My First Time, Richa Murjani did not feel comfortable in the role, a far cry from her previous projects: “I didn’t think I would be 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 done before. To be honest, it was just a lack of trust.”

Fortunately, the actor was able to count on the support of two people around him who managed to convince him to try his luck, the first being his manager and the second, Poorna Jagannathan, his co-star in the film “My First Times” and one of the. closest friends.

Regarding the latter, Richa Murjani says that he encouraged her to audition for the same role before accepting the offer herself. Poorna Jagannathan was just as anxious to get there, and Richa Murjan immediately insisted on the importance of this approach: “You should go, Fargo is a huge show and this is such an exciting opportunity!”

If Poorna Jagannathan was clearly not chosen, she did not hesitate for a second to support her friend: “You pushed me to leave, now it’s your turn!” A very good tip that allowed Richa Moorjan to join the long list of outstanding actors who have passed on Fargo!

After putting her initial fears behind her, the actress also tried her best and wrote a letter to Noah Hawley, the creator of the series, after contacting him after hearing her through a video. A discussion that strongly reinforced his desire to be a part of this season 5:

“I wrote a no-audition letter to Noah Hawley to tell him to let me know. And I’ve never done that before, but it shows how much I wanted the role after reading the script and falling in love with the characters and the world of Fargo.” He explains.

Her courage has also been rewarded as Richa Moorjani stars today as one of the heroines in these new episodes opposite Juno Temple and Jennifer Jason Leigh. Find him now in the first two episodes of Fargo Season 5, available on myCANAL and beyond, which will air in 2 episodes every Thursday night on CANAL+.

Comments collected during the press junket on November 14, 2023.