Vritika Gupta On Honoring Reena Virk for Hulu’s ‘Under the Bridge’

I cannot imagine how the young cast of Hulu’s Under the Bridge put themselves through what they go through. This limited series is about the rejecting innocence, the desperate need to grow up, and how we yearn for a solid family foundation. Reena Virk was not afforded the opportunity to grow up, but Quinn Shephard and Samir Mehta’s series sheds light on Reena’s murder like never before. At the center of Under the Bridge is Vritika Gupta’s marvelous, natural performance as a young woman caught between the safety of home and the need to run away to find that home on her own.

At first, I didn’t realize that this was based on a true story, and Gupta was unfamiliar with the story as well. It’s the kind of story that when you hear about it, you reject the idea that people can be that cruel and that violent. Gupta responded to the script immediately.

“When I had initially auditioned for the series, I did not know this was a true story whatsoever,” Gupta admits. “I think that really made me want to do the show more and it made me want to portray Reena. The script was just so well-written and being able to read Rebecca [Godfrey]’s book to understand her viewpoint on the whole story helped with some questions I had. I also read Manjit’s book. It helped me understand Reena not just as as a teenager but as a sister, as a friend. and as someone who’s just trying to fit in and have friends to call her own.”

Reena is the polar opposite of Chloe Guidry’s Josephine Bell. They meet in a drugstore as Reena is trying to figure out what razor to buy, and Josephine bursts into Reena’s life with ease. Before they introduce themselves to each other, we assume that they know each other already. Reena is immediately seduced by Josephine’s confidence and her natural ability to not care what people think. It was like a moth drawn to a dangerous flame.

“For me, we had rehearsals prior to filming, and I think that really helped me get comfortable with Chloe [Guidry],” she says. :It helped with both on set but off the set as well, and also with that first scene in the store when we first meet each other for the first time. Kevin [Phillips], our second episode director, helped us get super comfortable with and he really helped us kind of build that chemistry. W were able to really go to Quinn [Shephard] and Samir [Mehta] for any questions we had about their bond and the connection they had.  I found that that time together in rehearsal helped translate that on screen.”

Episode four delves into the history of Reena’s family in an unexpected way, and it’s one of the most incredible episodes of this entire season of television. Directed by Nimisha Mukerji, it shows how our pasts can inform and influence our future, and we must remember to never forget it.

“I think it’s just the most beautiful episode I’ve ever seen,” Gupta says, with a smile. “I remember watching it the first time and I was just in tears. When we were doing it, I think Nimisha stressed to me the value in the audience understanding the backstory of not just who Reena was but the life before her. Nimisha and I talked a lot before filming and while we were doing it. She was so fantastic to work with.” 

In that same episode, Reena’s friends accept an invitation to dinner, and they invade the Virk household. When they are in Suman’s closet trying on clothes, Suman surprises her daughter by showing her a pair of earrings that she plans on giving Reena when she is older. The Virk household is normally full of strike as Reena butts heads with her parents, but this is a beautiful moment seen by her entire circle. It might seem like a small gesture, but it reinforces the power of love.

“Throughout the series, there are so many time when we see Reena and Suman fighting or having disagreements,” she says. “With the earrings being such an important symbol, not just in the show but in the relationship to them, it was something that truly brought them together. Those earrings could continue Suman’s history and they were such an important part of their relationship even if Reena didn’t know her mom was going to give them to her. Reena knew how important they were to Suman.

Archie [Panjabi] and I talked about how it was such a bittersweet moment, because you see the other girls’ jealousy towards that relationship. They could never have their mom like Reena does. It was so vital for the audience to see that one small moment because it shows different perspectives, and it shows the freedom that Reena has. It’s so important to see how much Suman and Manjit love Reena in front of other people. I love that moment so much.”

There are no words to describe the loss that Virk family endured. After the court case, we come back to their home and we feel the quietness as Suman and Manjit settle in their daughter’s space. They listen to her music and feel her presence so deeply, that Gupta appears on screen in the doorway. They say nothing to each other but sit with one another’s presences. Under the Bridge is a series about growing up, but it’s also about always being able to come home.

“Honestly, that was such a special moment for all of us,” Gupta says. “It was our last day on set and the end of the shoot, and there was just so many moments in the ending that brought something bigger together. Reena’s parents listen to Biggie and there’s that scene that goes back to where Reena’s listening to it and they are telling her to turn it down. In the introduction to that scene, Manjit is screwing the doorway back on, and it was so gut-wrenching to see him putting it back. It was all so beautifully planned. Moments like that feel like symbols to the show and we feel the love that Suman and Manjit have for their daughter, even if they aren’t saying anything. After the scene had finished, we all came out and we were just sobbing and crying. It’s such a beautiful scene.”

Under the Bridge is streaming now on Hulu.