Yahoo Finance Mindy Kaling Reveals Deacon Phillippe's A-List Never Have I Ever Reference: His Mom Reese Witherspoon!
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Reese Witherspoon put in a good word for her son Deacon Phillippe before he joined the cast of Never Have I Ever.
The show's executive producer and co-creator Mindy Kaling opened up about casting Deacon, 18, in his debut acting role after having a conversation with the Oscar winner about her son's ambitions.
"Reese had told me that he was interested in performing ... and I only had this role that seemed really good for him," Kaling, 43, told Entertainment Tonight. "He's so super talented, obviously really handsome, but here's this kid who's been raised by two very successful actors and he wanted to learn."
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"He came to set, he really wanted to learn from our cast and I just love that energy," she continued. "He's just such a great kid and... incredibly grateful and a really nice energy to be around."
RELATED: Everything to Know About Never Have I Ever Season 3
Lara Solanki/Netflix
In the Netflix comedy's third season, Deacon will play a new character named Parker, who's a rival debate team member from a private school. And it's a very real possibility that party boy Parker may create yet another romantic dilemma for the show's heroine Devi Vishwakumar's (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan), who has often found herself making relatably bad choices when it comes to her love life.
Ramakrishnan, 20, told ET she enjoyed spending time with Deacon while filming.
"He was really cool to hang out with on set, and really kind and chill," she shared. "Totally blended in with the rest of the cast, which was awesome."
She didn't, however, spill any details on where season 3 will take Devi in her love life now that she's officially coupled up with Paxton Hall-Yoshida (Darren Barnet) after being in a love triangle with him and fellow high school over-achiever Ben (Jaren Lewison).
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RELATED: Ryan Phillippe Is 'So Proud' of Son Deacon's Acting Debut on Never Have I Ever
Earlier this month, the Deacon's father Ryan Phillippe told Entertainment Tonight that he was "so proud" of his son's acting debut.
"He's about to go to college for music. That's his primary focus," he revealed. "The acting thing he likes to do, and he will do according to what his appetite for it is, but his focus is primarily music."
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Season 3 of Never Have I Ever drops Friday on Netflix.
