Ishaan Khatter Talks Playing Opposite Nicole Kidman and Her 'Hypnotizing Eyes' in "The Perfect Couple" (Exclusive)
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09/09/2024 09:36 PM
The Bollywood actor joins the Oscar winner in Netflix's murder mystery series based on Elin Hilderbrand's novel by the same name
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'The Perfect Couple' stars Ishaan Khatter and Nicole KidmanBollywood star Ishaan Khatter made his U.S. debut in The Perfect Couple alongside what he considers to be a pretty perfect cast.
"One of the things that I thoroughly enjoyed about this show is working with some wonderful people," Khatter, 28, tells PEOPLE. "They're all professionals and they're very generous and kind."
The actor says he had an "awe-inspiring first meeting" with costar Nicole Kidman, who plays mother of the groom Greer Garrison Winbury in the Netflix murder mystery based on Elin Hilderbrand's book by the same name.
"She was as normal as any other actor on set," Khatter says. "We had some very interesting things that we could connect on and chat about outside of the narrative of the show. She's a wonderful person. She certainly has hypnotizing eyes, which I enjoyed playing off of. It was definitely a very exciting foray into the world of Hollywood, so I feel very grateful. It's going to be one of the pleasures of my young career."
Khatter and the cast filmed in Cape Cod, Mass. over four months and spent their downtime whale watching, wine tasting, visiting nearby Provincetown — and taking trips to Trader Joe's.
"I can definitely say that I am nearly as well ensconced with the geography of Cape Cod now as maybe a local would be," he says.
Hilary Bronwyn Gayle/Netflix
Ishaan Khatter as Shooter Dival in 'The Perfect Couple'The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!
The show cast Khatter as the groom's childhood friend and best man Shooter Dival despite the character being white in Hiderband's novel.
"She took the liberty with my character to cast of agnostic of ethnicity," Khatter says of director Susanne Bier. "Susanne's vision was very distinct, and I wanted her to be my guiding force and not the book as much."
Still, Khatter says he "brushed through" the book to familiarize himself with the story of a murder that takes place during a wedding weekend in Nantucket, Mass. "I think it delivers the goods," he adds of the adaptation. "Essentially it's the same beats, it's the same arc, it's the same story and you're going to see it come to life on the screen."
Taha Ahmad/everett
Ishaan Khatter and Tabu in 'A Suitable Boy'It only took one audition for Khatter to land the role.
"I was shooting a movie in Mumbai and I sent in a self-tape," Khatter says of submitting an audition tape. "I didn't have a friend or somebody who could help me shoot the audition, so it's the first audition in my life that I did playing off of my own voice. I guess it worked, so I think I'm going to do that more often."
The Perfect Couple shot to No. 1 on Netflix following its Sept. 5 premiere, and Khatter already has another show with the streamer in the works: The Royals, in which he'll play Prince Charming. Khatter dreams of eventually working with "all-time greats" like Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantaino.
"The best outlet and the best form of self-expression I have in my life is acting and my work," Khatter says. "I'm in no hurry for people to get to know me through my words. I'd rather let them see my work, and hopefully they'll be curious to see more, and hopefully I can keep surprising them and exciting them with my work as it comes."
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The Perfect Couple is streaming now on Netflix.
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