DUBAI: Supermodel Gigi Hadid has added another credit to her growing resume, making a surprise acting appearance in Mindy Kaling’s new comedy series “Not Suitable for Work.”
The US-Dutch-Palestinian model appears in the third episode of the Hulu series, playing Catherine, the fiery girlfriend of investment banker Bill Gibson, portrayed by actor Jay Ellis. Her character storms into Bill’s office to confront him after he forgets their anniversary.
The cameo marks Hadid’s first scripted on-screen acting role in a TV series, although she previously collaborated with Kaling by providing narration for an episode of the hit Netflix series “Never Have I Ever.” According to Kaling, the cameo stemmed from Hadid’s humor.
Kaling told People magazine she was not sure if the runway model and mother-of-one would agree.
“That was a very different type of thing, but I knew she was funny. But I didn’t know if she wanted to do anything on screen,” Kaling said in a recent interview. “So, we just asked her, and the commitment was low, and she lives in New York, and we felt so lucky that she said yes.”
“Not Suitable for Work” premiered in June and follows five ambitious twenty-somethings navigating careers, friendships and romance in New York City’s Murray Hill neighborhood.
The show’s stars were not aware of Hadid’s cameo before she turned up on set, they told USA Today.
“We have a bunch of really incredible guest appearances in this show, but because of the nature of our schedule, we weren’t really told in advance who they would be,” Ella Hunt, who plays corporate analyst AJ, said. “In the case of Gigi, I turned up to work not knowing who was going to be playing this very fabulous character.”
Hadid’s television appearance comes amid a busy year for the fashion star, who remains one of the industry’s most recognizable faces. The model recently attended the Met Gala in New York and continues to balance major fashion campaigns with her cashmere knitwear label, Guest in Residence.
While there has been no official word on whether Catherine will return later in the season, Kaling has hinted that Hadid’s character could make another appearance, leaving the door open for a future acting comeback from the runway star.
“It was really great. I was, like, thinking about how we could bring back that character,” she told People magazine.
