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 **CALVIN KLEIN 205W39NYC** jacket, **VALENTINO** sweater, **MARC JACOBS** jeans, and **PIERRE HARDY** shoes. * * * Geraldine Viswanathan reminds me a lot of myself, though she’s about 15 months younger and a lot more successful. We both are self-described “good girls” who thrived in school, but also had a passion for comedy. We’re both animal lovers. I want a tortoise and she would love a hedgehog. Unlike Viswanathan’s on-screen parents in _Blockers_, we were given leeway by our parents but used it sparingly, “So they didn’t have to worry about me that much and they kind of knew that I wasn’t sneaking out,” she tells me. “I wasn’t going to parties. I was just hanging out with my friends at the mall and getting smoothies.” Undoubtedly, Viswanathan owes her success to her boldness of spirit. When she was just eighteen-years-old she made the big move from Newcastle, Australia to Hollywood. She recalls, “It was a huge leap,” she says. “But it felt so good. I love L.A and I felt finally excited to be doing something and being somewhere. I was really happy to be out of my hometown.” Now, at 23, the young Australian has a been actively working in the entertainment industry, with a slew of work Down Under including, _Emo: The Musical_, legal drama called _Janet King_, as well as standup and work with her sketch comedy collective, _Freudian Nip_.  **SIES MARJAN** dress and **J.W. ANDERSON** shirt. * * * For many Americans, however, Viswanathan will be a fresh face when they see her in _Blockers_, an R-rated, coming-of-age, comedy that follows three young women as they aspire to lose their virginities on prom night. Despite the splashy, somewhat tongue-in-cheek advertisements, Viswanathan is adamant that people shouldn’t write the movie off as just the same bawdy entertainment. “On the surface it seems just like a raunchy sex comedy with butt-chugging and dick jokes,” he says. “And sure, all that is very brave and ballsy in its comedy. But it also has a lot of depth and dimension and a lot more heart than you might anticipate. It’s completely fresh in the sense that we’ve never seen this story from the female prospective especially dealing with virginity loss in the nature of this kind of comedy. So I think it’s a very timely movie and reflects today’s society and that’s why it’s resonating with people.” In addition to _Blockers_, in the past nine months Viswanathan has completed four projects (three feature films, and a TV series for TBS). But Viswanathan is not just resting on her comedic laurels; she’s proved her versatility with the variety of projects due out this year. “I kind of did two dick emoji movies back to back. I’ve got a real niche there,” she says through laughter. “And then straight after I did that film, I went on to do _Hala_, which couldn’t be more different. It’s an indie drama, very heavy, coming of age story about a Muslim teenager in Chicago. So it was really working different muscles.” Geraldine is a sink or swim kind of woman. With only about a week to transition between a feature comedy and an indie drama she had little time to switch gears. “Maybe that was good thing,” she believes. “I feel like it meant that I had to keep my head above water and just do it and not think about it too much.” Viswanathan takes that plucky attitude in to all aspects of her work. As described by the website for her sketch comedy collective, _Freudian Nip,_ she is a multitasking performer, actor, comedian and writer. When asked if she ever desired to put a particular focus on one of these talents, Viswanathan says, “They’re all things that I’m extremely passionate about and they intertwine. They’re all interconnected and they all kind of complement each other. I’ve done the most work as an actor, but I enjoy being a multi-hyphenate. I like the creative process and I like making things, and I think that they all lend themselves to each other.” Her all-around creativity is inspired by her own childhood. Frustrated by the lack of roles available to her at the drama school she attended, she and her friends would put on sketches and plays for her classmates to watch. “Part of the reason why I started doing stand up and got involved with Freudian Nip was out of frustration of not really feeling like I was doing what I wanted to do,” she recalls. “Then I realized that it’s totally possible to write your own stuff, go out and do it, and develop your skills in that way. And it’s so much more empowering and liberating to not wait for permission and just to create your own opportunity.” Her advice for young women who might one day aspire to be like her is “Just get out and do it. Don’t wait for anyone to let you do it. In this day and age, it’s so much easier to create your own content now. You can easily make stuff on your phone and YouTube. There’s a new space now where people can come up.” In fact, she’d like to model her own career after another fearless Aussie who has done just that. “I think that \[Margot Robbie\] is incredibly smart, she’s an incredible actress but I think that people pigeon-holed her pretty quick. And now she’s got her own production company and is creating opportunities and roles for herself that people usually wouldn’t see her in and I think that’s really smart and I admire her for that.” As part of Viswanathan’s creative platform and opportunity to create, her comedic work for Freudian Nip frequently utilizes social commentary. Additionally, the collective is engaged in civic activism in their native Australia and internationally, highlighting issues such as gender equality, The Tampon Tax Protests, and Reclaim the Night The Feminist Movement is one that Freudian Nip and Viswanathan feel passionate about. “We’re developing an idea that’s very much shining a light on that,” she says. “That’s just something that we feel really strongly about and something that we were made to talk about. Individually and as part of Freudian Nip we are concerned with the feminist movement and the reckoning that’s happening right now with “Me Too” and “Time’s Up.” Viswanathan’s not your generic, woke, progressive, feminist. Ever the scholar, she’s taken time to consider the deeper implications.  **BALENCIAGA** shirt. * * * “I like the way things are going in terms of the progressive movement, but sometimes I feel like identity politics gets in the way of true progress. I think young people tend to lose sight of the bigger picture, and the bigger goal of a movement and I can see that happening especially within like the college community. I feel like it gets a little extreme sometimes and the intention of the movement can gets lost. Ultimately, it’s all moving in the right direction. I hope it’s moving in the right direction and not taking it too far.” Viswanathan has the insight of someone wise beyond her years, seeming to have a handle on the big picture, not only politically but also in her personal life. Immediately up next for the actress is… nothing. She doesn’t have any future projects currently lined up. It’s the first time she’s not nervous saying that. “I feel fine taking a much needed breather after pretty much working for the last nine months.” Ever diligent, her idea of a break is much different from most. “I’m probably going to get writing,” she predicts. “The Nips and I have stuff that I’m working on which I’m very excited about. I’ve been very focused on the acting, which has been awesome, and now I’m excited to get back.” * * * Written by Kathleen Juarez Photographer: Nick Green Stylist: Leonard Murray Hair: Bobby Eliot using Oribe Hair Care at Starworks Artists Makeup: Jenna Kristina using NARS at The Wall Group