Mindy Kaling Talks New Adult Comedy Series ‘Velma’ & What It's Like Voicing the Beloved ‘Scooby Doo’ Character

Mindy Kaling is a very busy woman these days. Not only did she recently drop the second season of her popular series, Never Have I Ever, on Netflix, but she’s also currently raising a 3-year-old and an almost 1-year-old. Not to mention, she’s also penning the script for Legally Blonde 3. However, she still managed to find the time to sign on to voice the role of Velma in an upcoming Scooby Doo series and she’s giving us all of the deets. 

PureWow recently sat down to chat with The Mindy Project actress about her latest partnership with T.J.Maxx and the launch of "The Change Exchange" Pen Pal Program. The empowering letter-writing program is designed to help women connect with each other and feel supported as they navigate moments of change (sign up here).  

During the chat, the Office star opened up about her love of the original cartoon series and whether or not her kids—Katherine and Spencer—will be tuning in to the prequel. 

“I love Scooby Doo. It is so fun and so wholesome. The character Velma in particular I adore because she is incredibly smart, often felt like the smartest one in the group and is valued by other members of the gang. It's exciting to do her voice because I think she’s just an iconic smart girl. The spin on it is a little more adult, so maybe I would have to wait until my daughter is a little bit older. But I am really excited about that project.”

The mother of two also revealed what drew her most to the character. She continued, “What I love about [Velma] is that she is so smart and she doesn’t seem to care as much about fashion or those kinds of trappings of adolescence. But she’s still iconic no matter what with her orange turtle neck and her red kilt and I just love that. She really seems to value smarts and education a lot. To me, I think she’s a great character and kind of a natural fit for me.”

The new project, titled Velma, is an adult animated comedy series that tells the origin story of the “unsung and underappreciated brains" of the mystery-solving gang and, unlike the original, character, this Velma is of South Asian descent and lives in a world with no talking Great Dane. Unfortunately, there's no set release date yet. 

We can’t wait to see what you do with this role, Mindy. 

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