Freida Pinto: In 2008, Hollywood was 0% prepared for someone like me.And so, as an ethnic minority in that industry, you needed to develop a thick skin very quickly. Speaking out can be very scary.

Yeah, and I think those roles that I played right after Slumdog Millionaire, I did not necessarily feel that I was given something to really play that was worth my time and I could really stretch my acting chops with. I think those were all roles that I had to play in order to realize and recognize the kind of roles I don’t want to play again. And there’s no other way of knowing when you’re a newcomer in the industry, you kind of have to do it all—especially when you’re a newcomer and a minority at the same time, where people don’t exactly know what to do with you, or what kind of role to place you in. So they constantly send you the more stereotypical, exotic roles, and you look at it, and you barf and you go, “Okay, I guess I’ve got to do this one just because I’ve got to make money,” or, “Yeah, I’ve got to do this one just because I want exposure.”

That is one of the reasons why I started my production company, not just for me to act in, but to tell stories of women that don’t usually get told, stories that people are so afraid to back their money on, like Mr. Malcolm’s List.