Everything You Wanted to Know About ‘The Internship’s Tiya Sircar (But Were Too Lazy To Google)

By now you’ve probably heard that “The Internship,” a comedy starring Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn as middle-aged salesmen trying to revive their stalling careers by interning Google, has been widely-panned as a box-office failure. But one possible silver lining of the film may be the character Neha Patel, played to perfection by 30-year-old Tiya Sircar.

It’s odd that despite her extensive screen credits, Sircar’s Wikipedia page seems to be blank! But you can mop up your tears now, because we have you covered.

Her Role in “The Internship” Was the First Time She Played a Nerd

In “The Internship,” Sircar plays Neha Patel, a “Twilight” fanfiction-obsessed college student possessing little-to-no actual experience in romance. In an interview at Glamaholic, Sircar says of this particular role: “I’ve often played the head cheerleader or the bitchy, popular girl in school. I’ve never really played a “nerd” before. It was an eye-opening experience!” (If you need any more input, call me up Tiya. — KV)

…But She’s Used to Playing All Types

She also states in an interview with E.T. Online that she’s rarely cast as her actual ethnicity. “I am Indian-American, but I often play ethnically ambiguous roles,” she says, “I don’t often get Indian girl roles because I’m ‘not Indian enough’.”

Tiya Has Starred Alongside Justin Timberlake, Zac Efron, and Miley Cyrus

If you think Sircar looks familiar, it’s probably because you’ve seen her in the dozen or so other prominent roles she has snagged recently. Two years ago, she played Aimee Bradley, a high school student entangled in supernatural activities in The CW’s “Vampire Diaries.” Before “The Internship,” she also appeared on the silver screen alongside Justin Timberlake in “Friends with Benefits” and Zac Efron in “17 Again.” Before those roles, Sircar enjoyed guest roles on some of the Disney Channel’s biggest series, playing Natasha, alongside Miley Cyrus, in “Hannah Montana” and Padma in “The Suite Life on Deck.”

She’s a Triple-Threat!

Sircar’s a natural artist, performing since the age of three. She may be a pretty face on screen, but her repertoire also includes some serious dance experience. A trained dancer, Sircar has mastered jazz, lyrical, ballet and East Indian classical and folk dance forms, among others. Below is footage of Sircar rehearsing for a dance sequence in “The Lost Medallion.”

But that’s not all. She’s also a talented chef. Head over to Self to learn how you can make one of her signature dishes — salmon with zucchini and eggplant — for yourself!