Erica Fernandes also discussed facing body shaming and said that rejections due to her appearance affected her self esteem.

Erica Fernandes said that she was rejected for films in Bollywood. (Photo: Erica/Instagram)

Actor Erica Fernandes has opened up about her experiences in the entertainment world and said that she faced difficulties trying to move from TV to movies. Erica explained how factors like nepotism and her appearance affected her opportunities, leading to missed chances. Erica also revealed an instance where she filmed for a South film, only to later discover through media reports that she had been replaced.

In an interview with Galatta India, Erica said, “There was a time when I was in a South film that I shot for 2-3 days, and after that, I got to know through the media that I was replaced. Then again I’ve been asked questions of ‘why not Bollywood’. There have been times where you’ve gone to audition, gotten to the moment where okay, almost final, then you get replaced by someone who is a known face or someone who is a known face’s child; nepotism happens.”

She continued, “And then all of those contribute to whatever experiences or how you kind of proceed with whatever comes next.  So when I came from movie to TV again, people questioned me why from movie you’re going to TV. For me, that didn’t matter because for me, my work is my work, and I take pride in my work, be it any platform or any format. I came to TV.”

Erica also discussed how criticism about her appearance affected her career opportunities in the past. She admitted to struggling with body shaming comments, which impacted her self-esteem during her younger years. Over time, Erica learned to accept herself, realizing the importance of internal validation.

The actor said, “I know what I have dealt with in the past. I’ve gone through a lot because of being thin, and it has cost me a lot of projects. It has cost me my self-esteem. But again, see, with those kinds of rejections and everything that happened, it just made me stronger. It just helped me to deal with things in a better way.”

Erica is currently seen in Amazon Mini TV’s latest show Love Adhoora.