Who is Shubham Maheshwari, who plays Gat on We Were Liars? He’s a Hollywood newcomer with no previous screen experience – but as a teenager, he was inspired by Leonardo DiCaprio
Unlike co-stars Emily Alyn Lind and Esther McGregor, he’s no nepo baby – Maheshwari came across the open casting call while studying economics at university and his leap of faith paid off
But what do we know about Shubham Maheshwari, the actor behind We Were Liars’ Gat Patil?
He had no professional acting experience
Born and raised in Dubai to Indian immigrant parents, Maheshwari had never set foot on a film set, had no screen credits to his name, and had no agent before landing his breakout role as Gat Patil on We Were Liars.
Unlike his three co-stars, he also had no connection to the industry – Emily Alyn Lind, Esther McGregor and Joseph Zada all have parents in showbiz. Maheshwari was a university student studying economics when he came across an open casting call on Backstage, the “LinkedIn” for models and actors, for the role of Gat Patil.
“Reading their brief character description of Gat, I immediately knew this was something I would apply for, but that was about it – I did not think or expect anything,” Maheshwari said in an interview with Backstage. “I then immediately read the book and fell in love with this incredible story.”