At long last, the day is here: Mindy Kaling’s new coming-of-age series, Never Have I Ever, is finally streaming on Netflix. And while that means a new binge-worthy show that is sure to bring a lot of laughs, it also means we’ll get to see Canadian teen Maitreyi Ramakrishnan in her screen-acting debut.

A refresher, should you need it: the Mississauga, Ont., native was cast as the lead in the series – about the complicated life of a modern-day, first-generation Indian-American girl that is loosely based on Kaling’s own experiences – last year after answering an open casting call on Twitter. The then 17-year-old Tamil-Canadian beat out 15,000 other people for the role.

Now, in a new behind-the-scenes video, Ramakrishnan is opening up about her journey from Mississauga to the star of a Netflix series. She touches on everything from her original dream job (an animator) to meeting Mindy Kaling for the first time (“I was absolutely speechless.”). The video even features a glimpse at Ramakrishnan’s original audition tape – and we totally get why she got the gig.

“It was hard for me to imagine myself on a Netflix show before any of this happened,” she says in the video. “But it’s something I definitely would have always wanted, so now it’s really awesome to say that this is real life.”

Check out the full video below.

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Meet Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, the Canadian Teen Cast in Mindy Kaling’s New Netflix Series

Watch the trailer for Mindy Kaling’s New Coming-of-Age Comedy Series Never Have I Ever