Priyanka Chopra, Who Did NOT Audition for Citadel, Says 'Auditioning Isn't Bad': 'Actor Like Me... Won't Be Sidelined' | Exclusive

More than a decade back, Priyanka Chopra Jonas forayed into Hollywood with a single titled In My City. She went on to lend her vocals and feature in two more music videos, Exotic and I Can’t Make You Love Me, and made her acting debut in the West with the series Quantico in 2015. In the last one decade, she has paved the way for South Asian actors in the USA and is hailed as one of the flagbearers of inclusivity with regard to the representation of brown faces in Hollywood shows and films. Currently, she is gearing up for the release of the American spy thriller series Citadel and the romantic comedy Love Again, both of which she is headlining.

In an exclusive chat with News18, Priyanka throws light on Hollywood’s culture of auditioning and tells us that she had no qualms about taking a test before landing her debut vehicle in the USA despite being an established name in the Hindi film industry. “I didn’t audition for Citadel. But I had to audition for my first project in Hollywood. And auditioning isn’t a bad thing. It’s normal. In fact, we should do a lot more of it,” she states. Pointing out how it makes way for a more democratised way of casting actors without any kind of discrimination, she says, “People are cast because of merit and not because they are the flavour of the season or someone likes them or has recommended their name.”

She goes on to explain that auditions are particularly great for actors with South Asian descent as it helps create opportunities for them in the fairest fashion. “So, an actor like me who enjoyed being a leading lady in Bollywood and knows her job will not be side-lined when I’m auditioned. I’ll be good because I’m a good actor. I’ll win the job like I did with Quantico because I’m good at my job. And I’m not under-confident,” remarks Priyanka with her signature candour.

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Citadel sees her playing an undercover agent and needless to say, she performs some heavy-duty action sequences in the film. Interestingly, it has joined the leagues of Quantico and The Matrix Resurrections (2021), both of which saw her engaging in high-octane stunts. Back home, the 40-year-old has headlined actioners like Drona (2008), Don 2 (2011) and Jai Gangaajal (2016). Speaking about it, she said in an interview, “I come from the background of doing action films. I’ve some action films in Bollywood as well. So, I’ve a lot of confidence in myself. The stunt team in Citadel comes from Russo Brothers. They’ve done Avengers and the Bond movies. They’ve worked with the best in the business. So, I learned a lot from them.”

She went on to reveal that she performed most of the stunts in Citadel on her own without any body double and that she is not embarrassed to learn from seasoned performers. “I’m not arrogant. I don’t walk in with the baggage of having done so many films and that I know everything. I love learning and especially from people who have more experience than I do. Sab kuch nichor leti hoon unse! So, I had a very good experience working with the stunt team as they taught me a lot,” Priyanka elaborated. The actor, who will soon mark her return to Bollywood with Jee Le Zaraa, adds, “Almost 80 percent of the stunts in show were done by me because I trust my body and my instincts. The action in the show is definitely very different from anything I’ve done before.”

The first season of the global series consists of six episodes, with two episodes premiering on April 28 on Prime Video India, and one episode rolling out weekly through May 26. Citadel is executive produced by the Russo Brothers and showrunner David Weil, and also stars Richard Madden with Stanley Tucci and Lesley Manville.​

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