Ishaan Khatter shines in ‘The Perfect Couple’: A fresh face in a thrilling mystery
A rising star in a gripping narrative
Indian actor Ishaan Khatter is making waves with his second major English-language role, sharing the screen with Nicole Kidman and Liev Schreiber in Netflix’s hit thriller, The Perfect Couple. As Shooter Dival, an outsider amidst Nantucket’s elite, Khatter injects new energy into a murder mystery that has captivated audiences worldwide.
A tale of opulence and intrigue
Adapted from a bestselling novel, The Perfect Couple revolves around Amelia Sacks (Eve Hewson), a bride about to join Nantucket’s high society. Nicole Kidman portrays Greer Garrison Winbury, the groom’s mother and a celebrated author, who orchestrates a lavish wedding. However, the festivities take a dark turn when a body is discovered on the beach, transforming the grand event into a hotbed of suspicion. As the investigation progresses, hidden truths come to light, echoing the twists and turns of Winbury’s own literary works.
Khatter’s intriguing character
Khatter’s character, Shooter Dival, is the best man and a boarding school friend of the groom, Benji. Dival is depicted as an honorary member of the Winbury family, adding another layer to the complex web of relationships in the series. Directed by Susanne Bier (Emmy winner for “The Night Manager”), the show intricately weaves a tale of mystery and high-society intrigue.
A role that stands out
The character of Dival intrigued Khatter from the start. “When I read it, there was a veil of mystery in the way the character was treated,” Khatter shares. “I think it was very distinct. And he kind of is an animal that crawls in his own path.”
Khatter made his acting debut in 2017 with the critically acclaimed “Beyond the Clouds,” directed by an Iranian auteur. He followed this with lead roles in Bollywood films such as “Dhadak” (2018) and “Khaali Peeli” (2020). Khatter also received praise for his performance in the BBC/Netflix series “A Suitable Boy” (2020).
Embracing a new challenge
“There are revelations, and I enjoyed the arc very much. I also thought it was interesting because I could not relate to the character on many other levels, except for perhaps an emotional level,” Khatter says about playing Dival. “So it was a new kind of character for me. He’s walking a very thin line of an outsider-insider position in the scheme of things.”
Originally written as white in the source material, the casting of Dival represents a significant shift toward colorblind casting in international productions. “I believe that they decided to go agnostic of ethnicity when they were casting it,” Khatter says. “Bravo to Netflix and the studios and the producers and the makers for taking that decision in the true sense and not just doing it as a tokenized kind of casting.”
Overcoming physical and cultural challenges
The actor faced physical challenges during the shoot, dealing with a hip joint injury while adapting to a new cultural environment. “It was physically challenging. And of course, other than that, it was the cultural environment being totally new to adapt to that as well,” he says. Despite these obstacles, Khatter found support in his fellow cast and crew members. “It could have possibly been very overwhelming, but I was well supported. I had a great set of people around me and very capable actors and technicians.”
Building camaraderie on set
Spending time with his fellow actors, including a memorable day trip to Provincetown with Eve Hewson, Dakota Fanning (and her sister Elle who was visiting), Jack Reynor, Billy Howle, Sam Nivola, and their friends, helped Khatter assimilate into the new environment.
Adopting an American accent
Khatter also made the decision to use a standard American accent for Dival. “I said, I think it should be an American accent, because that’s what makes sense to me being that he went to boarding school with Benji, and everybody in this setup is extremely American,” he explains. The actor added, “It was a new kind of muscle for me as an actor.”
An unexpected dance sequence
One of the production highlights for Khatter was an unexpected dance sequence added by Bier. “It was a bit of a nightmare for all of the actors, because it was a surprise attack on us by Susanne,” Khatter recalls. The sequence, which wasn’t originally scripted, was introduced to the cast over the holiday break. “Over Christmas, over the holidays, she sent an email to all of us saying, ‘Hey guys, happy Christmas. Here’s a dance that we need you to perform as you get back in the new year.'”
The production started shooting in a week, and the cast thought it was a practical joke on them because they couldn’t make sense of where the sequence would appear in the show. “But that’s the genius of Susanne’s vision. I mean, she was able to use it to almost throw off the audience and put them in a position where they don’t know what to expect from the tone of the show, even though it’s a murder mystery. And so yeah, we all ended up doing the dance. We were arm twisted into it,” Khatter says.
A unifying experience
Initially met with hesitation, the dance sequence ultimately became a unifying experience for the cast. “By the end of it, I think everybody who came in with hesitation was just enjoying it so much, and it ended up being the last thing that we shot together for the show,” Khatter says. “It was a great way to wrap the show and a great way to go out.”
Looking ahead
Next up for Khatter is another Netflix show, the modern-day Indian rom-com series The Royals, where he plays the prince charming to Bhumi Pednekar’s startup whiz.