Five things we learned from actor Dev Patel

“I don’t want to sound cheesy, but to me, the whole evening was about making my mum feel like a superstar,” says Dev, who walked the red carpet at the 2017 Academy Awards with his mum, Anita. “After all, it’s because of her that I could be there. I have walked red carpets a lot and I find it anxiety-inducing, but to her it was fun. She wanted to wear a sari, so I coordinated my outfit to match hers. I had literally told her at a young age, one day I will take you to the Oscars, and I was actually able to do it. I hoped that my being nominated could inspire other people, maybe another British Indian kid growing up in Rayners Lane [northwest London], like me.”

“I spent ten incredible days in Japan at Mandarin Oriental, Tokyo with my partner. Our room was incredible – the whole hotel is. It’s in the Nihonbashi area of the city and it’s a quiet, serene space right in the heart of Tokyo, a haven. I felt I had time to experience the city and get a feel for it, which is unusual for me. I’m sort of obsessed with Japan. When I’m in London I always go this fantastic place called Taro on Brewer Street, where you can eat amazing food for less than £15.” He’s also previously stayed at Mandarin Oriental, Prague, which he describes as magical; “I went to sign the guestbook and flipped back and saw that the Dalai Lama had signed it. Whoa.”

See point three. Dev’s long-term partner is Australian actor Tilda Cobham-Hervey, who he met while filming Hotel Mumbai. His last-known public relationship had been his with Slumdog Millionaire co-star Freida Pinto, who he dated from 2009 to 2014. The pair have remained friends and champions of one another’s work.

“I’ve honestly never really felt like I’ve ever had a firm grip on what I’m doing,” admits Dev, who also tells us that he is speaking on a smartphone “held together with sellotape”. He adds, “When I look back at my past work, all I see are the flaws. It helps me improve I guess I just want to keep moving, keep working, keep creating and keep trying new things. I’ve got ants in my pants.”

Though Dev was just a skinny teen when he scored his breakthrough role, he’s sanguine about getting older – in part thanks to working on the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel movies. “I loved that idea that you could have many chances in life to get it right. We should all take that approach to getting older.”