'Never Have I Ever' star Maitreyi Ramakrishnan says she was the last to find out the show got renewed for a 2nd season

• "Never Have I Ever" star Maitreyi Ramakrishnan (Devi Vishwakumar) spoke to Insider about the moment she found out the Netflix show got renewed for a second season.
• The actress, who's promoting her partnership with TAZO Tea, told us that she was asleep when she got the email from cocreator Mindy Kaling and was "the last person on that email chain to respond."
• Ramakrishnan also said that due to the coronavirus pandemic, she's not sure when the cast and crew will be able to start filming season two but they want to wait until it's safe to do so without sacrificing their "creative integrity."

"Never Have I Ever" star Maitreyi Ramakrishnan said she was the last to find out about the hit Netflix show's renewal and gave an update on season two.

"I was actually asleep when the email came in from [cocreator Mindy Kaling] telling the rest of the cast like, 'Hey, we got renewed.' I was the last person on that email chain to respond," the 18-year-old actress, who's promoting her partnership with TAZO Tea and their "Routine Reboot" campaign, told Insider.

Ramakrishnan went on to say that costar Jaren Lewison, who plays academic-nemesis-turned-love-interest Ben Gross on "NHIE," had a completely different response to the news.

"Jaren on the other hand was spam calling me while I was sleeping, trying to wake me up, but that didn't work," she told us. "So it was a very sleepy reaction of, 'Oh shoot, wow, amazing.'"

Ramakrishnan added that she reacted to the news by ordering an ice cream cake, her "go-to for celebrations."

Ramakrishnan became a breakout star when she made her debut as high schooler Devi Vishwakumar on season one of "NHIE," which was released in April and watched by more than 40 million households. The coming-of-age show was praised for its refreshing focus on a South Asian lead, diversity, and the ability to balance serious storylines with moments of levity.

In early July, the show got picked up for a second season and the cast shared their excitement in a video posted on social media.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, many films and TV shows have delayed production until it's safe to resume. Ramakrishnan told Insider that it's unclear when she and the cast of "NHIE" will be able to get to work on season two.

"I think [with] our crew, production team, and cast, the thing we care most about is making sure that everybody on our team is safe, not just the cast, but everybody behind the scenes as well," the actress told us.

She continued: "So, we're in no rush. We just truly want to take our time to make sure we do it at the best time where we don't have to sacrifice our creative integrity, but also making sure to stay safe."

Ramakrishnan is hosting TAZO's Routine Reboot during the week of August 17-21 on both her and TAZO's Instagram accounts. The partnership calls for Americans to reimagine their routines and explore a new way of living to gain new perspectives and collectively create a better path forward.

• Read more:
• 'Never Have I Ever' stars Jaren Lewison and Darren Barnet explain why they each think their characters, Ben and Paxton, are the better match for Devi
• 'Never Have I Ever' star Darren Barnet on his favorite scene from season 1, 'humanizing' Paxton Hall-Yoshida, and forging his own path
• 'Never Have I Ever' star Jaren Lewison breaks down the show's first 10 episodes and what he hopes to see in season 2