Manish Dayal Is Thrilled To Be Directing Episodes Of ‘The Resident,’ But He’s Not Going To Be Satisfied Until He Brings Indian-Americans Into The Marvel Cinematic Universe

Manish Dayal has been quietly working for the better part of two decades, and it’s likely that you’ve seen his face before. The actor has popped up in guest starring arcs on acclaimed dramas like The Good Wife and Halt and Catch Fire, starred in well-received films like The Hundred-Foot Journey and Viceroy’s House, and even played a teen heartthrob in the iconic American franchise 90210. He’s even part of the MCU with a minor role in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Lately, Dayal has found a home on FOX’s hospital drama The Resident where he stars as Devon Pravesh.

The medical series hit a milestone 100 episodes recently and Dayal — who has always harbored an interest in directing — was given the reins of this milestone episode (“For Better or Worse”), his second time behind the camera for this series (he also directed an episode in Season 5). Dayal spoke with Decider about his directing vision, his goals for expanding representation behind the camera, and where he hopes his career will go next.

DECIDER: “For Better Or Worse” is the 100th episode of a network drama, which is a huge deal. What does it mean to you to have been trusted with the directing responsibilities?

It is such a privilege and I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity because it’s been a passion of mine since day one. Matt [Czuchry] has always known about it, so it was something that we really celebrated together — not just reaching 100 but also this milestone for me. When we started the show, getting to 100 was not even something that we were thinking about. To me, it wasn’t even a possibility to do that, because it’s so rare these days. There’s so much programming on television, for a drama to stay on the air and stay relevant and keep its audience for that long, that’s hard. The studios and everyone involved have been very, very supportive of my directing efforts. Since day one, they’ve all known this is something I’ve wanted. To do it on The Resident…I couldn’t ask for anything better. This is my family. It really feels like an incredible honor.

This is your second time directing on The Resident. What made you first want to step behind the camera?

I’ve wanted to direct since I was a little kid. It was something that I was always fascinated by. When I was growing up in South Carolina, I was always looking for inspiration in film and TV. It was something that I was grabbing at, trying to be a part of and figure out and understand. It was always my interest to figure out how to make and tell stories. Pursuing it and making it a practical event in my life was much, much more difficult. You really have to figure out what your path is because everybody finds their journeys in different ways. For me, my passion for acting is what brought me to the directing space.

It was also super important to me because there’s so few Indian directors out there. Having that sort of representation and that perspective behind the camera is really important because it helps infuse the story with aspects beyond just who’s in front of the camera and who’s writing the story. When you are the filmmaker and you are the director, you can add certain nuances and you can add perspective that may not be there. Those little things accumulate and they create a broader picture for everybody, and it just becomes better, more inclusive storytelling.

Any director will tell you that directing is a very ambitious job. You’re managing so many different departments, creative departments, and then there’s the whole technical side of it. You want to make everybody happy but also fulfill your vision and why they hired you. What about you is going to be inside the story?

On that note, what was your vision for this episode of The Resident?

I come from a place of emotion. I realized after directing the two episodes that I think with my heart first and that really helps me direct because if I understand what everyone’s emotional state is, I can very clearly tell their story. I really have to understand the character and their point of view emotionally first, and that could be because I am an actor.

I create something called an Episode Bible, which basically outlines what every scene is about, what’s the point of the scene, what’s the new information of that scene, and how it connects to the next scene. Then I add the characters in and I think about their perspectives and where they are emotionally. That’s the most important thing for me. What are people’s journeys? Where are they coming from, where are they going, what do they want, who they love, what is it that they desire, and what is their Achilles heel? There’s always an answer. I always find that each character’s relationship with the other informs that story in a big way. If you lean it on those relationships, it helps not just tell the story, but elevate it.

I heard that you used sign language to communicate with one of the actors on set. Can you walk me through how you prepared for this episode?

When I realized that this actress was deaf, I latched on to it. That became the heartbeat of the whole episode. Yes, there was a big wedding in the episode, but there’s also a big theme about love and the sacrifices we make for each other. To me she was emblematic of that. I do know basic sign language and it was a really cool opportunity to speak to her and practice ASL but also garner her trust and to communicate with her on a human level. She’s surrounded by people who are constantly translating for her, so if there was anything I could communicate to her directly, it was something I wanted to do. Midway through the shooting schedule, she and I just had an understanding. She is brilliant, and she’s an incredible actress, and her instincts are razor sharp. Her name is Mila Davis-Kent and she understood very quickly what I was asking her for.

Devon is only in a few scenes in this episode, but how hard was it to play double duty, both acting in and directing this episode?

The first episode I directed was not difficult for me. In this episode, I found it a bit more challenging, but not in a big way. It was just switching. I didn’t bog myself down by seeing playback in between takes because at this point in the show, I was able to really understand instinctively if the scene worked. I call action and cut when I’m in the seat because it helps me switch over. If there was a technical problem, I relied on the DP in this episode. But switching gears in this episode was a little bit more challenging because of how much we had to shoot every day.

You’re one of the few leading South Asian men on TV right now, and you’re playing a doctor on TV. Have you shaped your character’s depiction over the past 100 episodes to make it more authentic?

Of course, all the time. The writers and everyone on the show is extremely collaborative, and I have certain perspectives on what Devon illustrates because he is a South Asian man. It was really important to me that Devon remains a leading man because that’s what he is. It’s important that we have as many as we can reflected on TV and film because that’s who we are in real life. But that doesn’t mean that he can’t have moments of doubt and moments of insecurity and vulnerability. At the end of the day, he’s not a stereotype. In fact, I think Devon being a doctor is pretty original considering the majority of doctors in this country are Indians — to reflect that is actually a slice of reality and a slice of the real world. I want to get it right because every doctor is different and everybody practices differently. What makes Devon specific is that he’s a protocol driven doctor. He relies on science and statistics but he’s also an emotional guy.

When I started out, there were so few roles for us that were on TV and the roles that were there were terrible reflections or things that really just didn’t make sense or were stereotypical. To see that change, not just on network TV but also in films, it’s really inspiring, and I’m grabbing on to that because I want more of it. I like how storytellers are all coming together and being very open and down to explore these new ideas and new people and backgrounds and religions, everything. It’s pretty awesome to be a part of that, as we’re shifting into this new space.

The idea about a brown person being a leading man is really important because so often in the past, Indian and brown characters were just side characters and desexualized. But you were on 90210 and were a heartthrob, so you’ve been doing the work for awhile.

I’ve only recently really grown to appreciate that part in a new way. When I got that role, I didn’t think anything of it in terms of what it does for culture. But this is a kid growing up in Venice, California. He was a surfer. He dropped out of school. He was suffering from a terminal illness. These are not things specific to Indians and Indian culture. So to play this guy who was the love interest of one of the girls on the show, it was actually a pretty big deal. I never thought of it like that until recently. Today I’m like, wow, that really meant something bigger than I understood at the time.

I couldn’t help but notice the episode you directed aired on Diwali. I loved seeing Indian outfits in the show. How special was that timing for you?

I didn’t know that was going to happen! I also had a scene with Leela [Anuja Joshi] where we’re eating laddoos, but the scene had to get cut unfortunately. I wanted Devon and Leela to reflect their background because it’s important to see that on TV. I decided that Devon would wear a kurta and that Leela would wear a sari to the wedding. It wasn’t overstated, it was just part of their identity. That goes back to having diverse representation behind the camera because those little ideas come from somebody who is in fact Indian. I also wanted to add some Indian music to the episode but that didn’t make sense in the story. But I’m glad that I got to have Devon and Leela in Indian attire. I think that was a cool add.

You’ve been working steadily for almost 20 years. Where do you see your career going next? 

I want to act and direct. I want to do both and I can do both. I really want to continue to occupy new spaces in this business, not just as an Indian man but just as a guy in this world. I would love to bring the backstory of my character in the MCU [Vijay Nadeer in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.] to life. I would love to get cable directing experience and of course I want to do features, and definitely want to continue acting. The sky’s the limit.

Do you have a dream project?

There was this one amazing script about Buddha. At the time, I remember thinking to myself, “this would be the dream role to portray Buddha and his life, his evolution and that story”. But I also want to bring an Indian American MCU character to the world.

Radhika Menon (@menonrad) is a TV-obsessed writer based in Los Angeles. Her work has appeared on Vulture, Teen Vogue, Paste Magazine, and more. At any given moment, she can ruminate at length over Friday Night Lights, the University of Michigan, and the perfect slice of pizza. You may call her Rad.