In the new Hulu show Deli Boys, a pair of Pakistani-American brothers are shocked to learn about their late father’s involvement in the world of organized crime. The actor Poorna Jagannathan, best known in the US for the show Never Have I Ever, has a star turn as the fierce, sharp-shooting auntie who welcomes them into the real family business—doing so in a wardrobe of glam leather and polished accessories. In real life, Jagannathan is no slouch on the red carpet, either, and when it comes to pondering her favorite cities for style she has a very specific choice in mind.
“It’s not L.A. It’s not London. It’s New York in the summer,” she says. “In L.A., it’s always sunny, but in New York, when you wear a sundress, it’s for a short time. The way you move through the city in that sundress, which you can only have on for a little while, is one of the most beautiful things.” Ahead of Deli Boys, which is streaming now, Jagannathan chatted about the adverse effect her love of fashion has on her suitcase strategy, the areas of Mexico and India she adores, and why she returned to Brazil for a milestone birthday.
Her packing style:
The biggest problem I have is something that came from childhood: My father was a diplomat and we moved every two and a half years, but there was no weight limit when we moved. We could take whatever and however much we wanted. There was never any editing that went on in my life, and that habit continued on. So I have a very, very hard time with packing. If I’m going on vacation, I’ll put a suitcase out like three weeks before and start dumping stuff and then taking out stuff. If I’m going to any city below 72 degrees, all my heavy coats come with me. And once I get to the place, I’ll go shopping and then that’s the only outfit I’ll wear for the next two weeks. I have to keep editing away until I’m down to two-and-a-half suitcases for a two-day trip.
What she spends her flight time on:
Movies. I think there should be a category at the Oscars for flight movies—the movies you only watch and enjoy on the flight. It’s a whole separate category. It’s nothing I would’ve paid for to see in the theater; I would absolutely not watch it at home. It’s a flight movie!
Her preferred mode of transportation:
A Vespa is always fun, but in a city that is Vespa-friendly. And I love taking the New York City subway. I know people hate it! Nothing gives me more pleasure than the New York City subway. The dancers!
Her favorite place she lived growing up:
Hands down it’s Brazil. It’s the one I return to least often, actually, as it’s really far away. [Brazil has] an intense love for life and good food and good music, community and family. And as I’ve grown older and especially becoming an actor, a lot of the shows that I’ve done, like Never Have I Ever, the Brazilian audiences are one of our biggest, most enthusiastic, most vocal, most fervent audiences. So I feel a very, very deep connection to the land, but also its people, always.
