How Mindy Kaling Lives Her Best Life
The Office star on competitive creativity and the two words she always likes to hear.
Photo: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
Best Happy Accident
As a kid, I would fall asleep during Saturday Night Live and wake up during Showtime at the Apollo. It introduced me to an entire world of black comedians and musicians—people who became my heroes.
Best Vice
Cooking s'mores on my George Foreman grill. I like using a device intended for healthy purposes—removing fat from meat—to make junk food.
Best Beauty Secret
I take pictures of myself before I go out. I don't trust mirrors, but I'll trust an unretouched photograph.
Best Creativity Boost
I try to see a movie a week. Nothing gets me more charged up than jealousy of another person's genius—it's incredibly stimulating and makes me feel supercompetitive.
Best Style Staple
I've always loved leather pants on rock stars, but I don't have the figure to pull them off. Recently I got a pair of loose, slouchy black leather shorts, which I wear with wool tights. They're comfortable and effortless, and they look so downtown.
Best Food Fix
I'm a master of the breakfast sandwich. I wish restaurants had them on their menus. For dinner. The key is to butter the bread and fry it up first, and you have to cook the bacon in the oven.
Best Compliment
I still think of myself as a chubby 12-year-old, so when my boyfriend says, "You're hot," I smile. That's what people say about Sports Illustrated models, so hearing it makes me feel like I've pulled off this total scam.
Best Way to End an Argument
Take a time-out, then watch YouTube videos of kittens falling asleep. Who would want to fight after that?
More Celebrities Reveal How They Live Their Best Lives
As a kid, I would fall asleep during Saturday Night Live and wake up during Showtime at the Apollo. It introduced me to an entire world of black comedians and musicians—people who became my heroes.
Best Vice
Cooking s'mores on my George Foreman grill. I like using a device intended for healthy purposes—removing fat from meat—to make junk food.
Best Beauty Secret
I take pictures of myself before I go out. I don't trust mirrors, but I'll trust an unretouched photograph.
Best Creativity Boost
I try to see a movie a week. Nothing gets me more charged up than jealousy of another person's genius—it's incredibly stimulating and makes me feel supercompetitive.
Best Style Staple
I've always loved leather pants on rock stars, but I don't have the figure to pull them off. Recently I got a pair of loose, slouchy black leather shorts, which I wear with wool tights. They're comfortable and effortless, and they look so downtown.
Best Food Fix
I'm a master of the breakfast sandwich. I wish restaurants had them on their menus. For dinner. The key is to butter the bread and fry it up first, and you have to cook the bacon in the oven.
Best Compliment
I still think of myself as a chubby 12-year-old, so when my boyfriend says, "You're hot," I smile. That's what people say about Sports Illustrated models, so hearing it makes me feel like I've pulled off this total scam.
Best Way to End an Argument
Take a time-out, then watch YouTube videos of kittens falling asleep. Who would want to fight after that?
More Celebrities Reveal How They Live Their Best Lives
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