Right from debuting in the lead role in the 2015 TV series Quantico, Priyanka Chopra's Hollywood career has only witnessed an upward hill. This year, the multifaceted actress starred as the lead in a rom-com and shared the screen space with Game of Thrones fame Richard Madden in a web series.
All the Hollywood projects in her pipeline are allowing her to display versatility as a performer. In a recent interview with a renowned Indian magazine, Priyanka opened up about picking different roles to avoid being typecast in the West.
She spoke about how she actively seeks out roles that don't have her as a sidekick or promote her as a diversity hire. "In the last five years, there has been a big demand from actors who say, 'I don’t want to be a sidekick anymore.' I know I did. I didn’t want to be one of the checks in the box that says we’ve made our cast diverse—that we have an Indian, an Asian, and so on. I didn’t want to have that," she said.
She further added, "I have taken many meetings where I’ve clearly told producers, 'Don’t put me in stereotypical parts.' I don’t want to do it. I’m going to work hard for you because I know my damn job."
In the same interview, the Citadel actress praised prominent actresses in Hollywood like Simone Ashley, Mindy Kaling and Deepika Padukone for their efforts in changing the way in which South Asians are portrayed on-screen. She also hoped that the next generation of Asian actresses will inherit this change from her generation.
On the work front, Priyanka's acclaimed web series, Citadel, was recently renewed for a second season. Production for the upcoming season is moving to California with acclaimed filmmaker Joe Russo directing all the episodes.