Frieda Pinto is the cover girl for the April issue of Esquire UK. Esquire UK has been doing a bang-up job lately – they’ve gotten some really great (dude) cover subjects and the interviews are FAR superior to the stuff Esquire US is putting out. But, every dude mag falters a bit in the presence of a hot girl, and they go into their “default” mode and think “Let’s just get her to take off her clothes and talk about being naked.” I really dislike when they do this, specifically when it’s being done to Freida Pinto. She’s too beautiful to do photo shoots in her underwear. It feels gross. Sure, the photos are “sexy”. But Freida is sexy in anything. Anyway, here are some highlights from the cover interview:

Frieda loves London: “Even though it’s so dreadful in the winter, I still think it’s beautiful. So much culture and history. Like Bombay!”

She feels she needs to take ambassadorial role for India: “It’s almost a duty,” she says. “People are very curious about India and I always try to represent my country in a non-stereotypical light.”

Her new film is an Indian reworking of Tess of the Durbevilles directed by Michael Winterbottom: “Even if it does [get censored in India], the people who want to see it will find a way to get an uncensored copy.”

Doing a nude scene in the film: “It was hard but it was a small crew, and they were good at not making their presence felt. They didn’t go, “Quick! She’s nearly naked! Get your camera out!”‘

She’ll only take off her clothes if it’s important for the story: “If you’re just doing a nude scene in order for everyone to, like, w*** off or something, then that’s not my thing at all.”

Living with Dev Patel, who hand-picked her as his Slumdog costar: Pinto is now living with her English boyfriend Dev Patel, 21, who handpicked her to be his love interest in Slumdog Millionaire. She recalled: “They asked him, ‘Out of the girls, who would you take on a date?’ And apparently he said me.”

Learning the tricks: “Now I’ve learned all these tricks. Always smile, and look slowly from left to the right. But in 2009, I was new to all of it. It was the Alice in Wonderland effect. Angelina Jolie would walk past and I was, like, ‘Seriously?’”

[From The Mail & Esquire UK]

I recently watched part of that Woody Allen film she did, You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger. The movie was kind of awful, but she was cute in it, and honestly, I admire her hustle. She’s an Indian actress who speaks with an accent – there aren’t going to be a million parts for her in Hollywood or in European productions. I think her career is going very well, though – she’s been taking smaller parts in big movies and big parts in small films. Plus, she supplements her income with beauty product endorsements. All in all, I expect big things from her. And please, Freida – don’t agree to “the wet look” for any more photo shoots. You’re better than that.

Photos courtesy of Esquire UK.