I want my man to be funny, honest and trustworthy: Jennifer Winget

Actor Jennifer Winget says her parents have been a strong support in her life.

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She might be one of the biggest actors in television with successful shows such as Kasautii Zindagii Kay, Kkusum and Dill Mill Gayye, behind her, but the qualities that she wants to see in her man is nothing different from other girls. When we ask her, she promptly replies with a, “that’s a very good question!” and says, “I think I want what every girl wants in a man. I would like him to be funny, honest, trustworthy. These are the basic qualities that we all look for in a man.”
However, the actor says that she would prefer her fans to know about her work, rather than her love life. “I have always been like this. I am not a very private person, but there are certain things that I don’t want to share with everyone. I know that I am an actor and a public figure and I have certain responsibilities. There are certain things that only me, my friends and family should know. It’s not everyone’s business. If you look at classic actors Audrey Hepburn, (Robert) De Niro, I like the certain mystery that surrounds an actor. I don’t want people to know everything about me.”
Meanwhile, the actor is looking forward for the launch of her show Behad, where she plays a grey character. “It’s not a full-on white or black character. It’s a grey character. To maintain that balance is a very tough one. And the writers are doing an amazing job to make sure that it doesn’t happen. There is a little bit of good and bad in us and we need to hone what we want to show. We all want to get it right. We don’t want this character to be a vamp, like we have in every show. I am hoping and praying that she stands out and we make something new,” she says.
Capturing the attention of the audience for a long time can be challenging, says Jennifer and this is why she believes that shows are ending within a few months of their launch. “Earlier when shows used to go on for 6-7 years, I think that people did not have exposure to other content. There were not too many international shows that people were watching and not many sources of entertainment. Now given the internet and international shows, there is just so much. Our attention span has become less. We get bored easily. If something doesn’t work, we change,” she says.
Read: I don’t feel bitter: Jennifer Winget on Karan-Bipasha’s marriage
Keeping fit is a big part of being an actor and Jennifer says that she has to attribute this to her good genes. “I am a very lazy person. This is thanks to my parents that I have good genes. I eat everything under the sun. I am not bragging, but I love eating. I never stop myself from eating anything. I live for food. I am not a fanatic when it comes to working out. I work out because I want to feel good. I hate going to the gym. I have been doing yoga for a while and I think it is the best thing for me,” she says.
The other side…
I always have my movies collected whenever I am going to shoot. I always carry my books and candles along. I have this whole thing whenever I go to work. I watch movies or read books in between. I will start taking my dog to the set too. He is a big dog, but I will try for sure. He is a lab. He is the best thing in the world.

Jennifer Winget with her pet dog.

Family support
My biggest critic has to be my dad. He is so brutally honest with me. Sometimes I am like, ‘I am your daughter, be nice to me and lie’. If he thinks I have not acted well, he will say I can see that you are not into this scene. Though he is not from the TV industry, he knows me so well. He knows if he sees a scene, if it’s good, he will look at me and nod and I know that I have won the battle. If it’s not, he will make it point to say you could have done better. But I know if I want an honest opinion, I have to go to him.

Actor Jennifer Winget with her mother who has always stood by her side in her thick and thin times.

The work-personal life balance…
I get my ‘me-time’ anyhow. After I come back from work and before I go. There are crazy hours. But after 3-4 days, you might get one day off. The only problem is that you never know when you will get that time. When you get an opportunity, you must make the best use of it. Given our work schedules, you can never plan this.
Confessions…
I love eating junk food…I am a mean video game player, I am very nasty when it comes to losing… I love driving too and I drive very well. In fact, driving is a stress-buster for me…I hate cats, like I am petrified of them…I am a very bad liar. I always get caught and I get into embarrassing situations.
Success…
Success, on one hand means to have achieved all my goals that I have set for myself. But on the other hand, it also means to be happy with what you’ve achieved and make people around me happy. Friends, family and everyone around me should be happy.