Reclaim the American Dream

With vaccines now in distribution, we can transition toward planning for a post-COVID universe, and The Resident has done just that with their fourth season, setting their stories in a post-vaccine world. “I appreciate the choice to move into a post-pandemic world because we also want to give our audience some relief from the daily grind the virus imposes,” says Manish Dayal, who’s played Dr. Devon Pravesh on the FOX show. “Sit back, relax, and let us take you on an unfamiliar journey for an hour.”

Looking back, he admits, “Last year was particularly brutal, a year we won’t ever forget. Even before the pandemic, we faced injustices beyond anything we’d ever seen. We’re living in very divisive times, but I’m also seeing us become hugely united, as well. We are all healing at the same time and making sense of our new reality.” Additionally, Dayal says that things will get bright again with a new administration and that instead of playing defense, we can focus on “finding your purpose. How will it shape our future? How will the events of 2020 push us to new heights? How do we grow and evolve from it? 2020 revealed a lot about our communities, our country, our leadership, and even the way our stories are told.”

Born in a Gujarati family in Orangeburg, South Carolina, Dayal is a first-generation immigrant in the United States (just like his character Dr. Pravesh). He notes that now is the time for us to come together as a nation and protect the future of American democracy, while “keeping the promises we are making to our future generations. After all, these dark times are necessary for us to appreciate the bright ones.”

When it comes to nurturing the next generation of leaders, he is a longtime advocate for quality education for every student, representing the Nanubhai Education Foundation as their avid supporter. The non-profit is committed to providing higher-education access to financially vulnerable students in rural India. “I think there’s power and opportunity in it. Access to education is a basic right, and there are communities in India that suffer from inequalities in education – sometimes based on caste and ethnicity,” says Dayal, whose mother was an educator. “I support the program as it works to raise funding in rural communities.”

In addition to his upcoming Disney project, as 2021 progresses and we heed the lessons from 2020, Dayal mentions the continual reinvention and rediscovery of the self. “I always want to learn and be better than I am now. And I still have a long way to go. 2020 showed me a kind of balance I’d never seen before – it sort of strips [away] the ego. We really are recognizing our basic human need to connect with each other, to be attentive, mindful, and focused on all the good we already have in our life,” he shares. “By doing that, we hold on to our purpose. To me, 2020 was all about that. I think I’ve learned that the moments in time when we have no freaking clue what’s about to happen, or what’s around the corner, are the exact moments we have to be our most determined selves – to keep on going. Because I think when we do, we often find exactly what we’re looking for.”

Writer: Savannah Dial

Photographer & Videographer: Zach Wolfe

Stylist: Hannah Johnson

Editor: Eiko Watanabe

Special thanks to EPK Media (@myepk & @epkmedia - epkmedia.com)