Priyanka Chopra Jonas on South Asian artists' representation in Hollywood. Image Source: My India News
Bollywood actress-singer Priyanka Chopra Jonas, who has been flying high since landing a role in "Matrix: Resurrections", alongside Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Jessica Henwick, Jonathan Groff, Neil Pattrick Harris, Daniel Bernhardt, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, among others. The movie was released on December 22nd, 2021.
Just like you and me, everyone has wondered how it was for a well-established actress in Bollywood to make it into Hollywood or what the challenges she had to face while landing roles such as in Baywatch, Isn’t It Romantic, Matrix, etc.,
Let’s find out:
Recently, while promoting her movie "Matrix: Resurrections," she opened up about her struggles as a South Asian artist trying to make her space in Hollywood. Priyanka said, "When I went to the US and started working, it was very hard for people to take me seriously. It was difficult to convince people that I could play pivotal parts and lead roles. I didn't carry my stardom that I had built in India. I walked into every room as a new actor and I demanded opportunities, honestly, and it took seven to 10 years. I’m just not subtle about it. "
Priyanka Chopra was the first Indian actress to star as a lead on a major American network when she signed up for "Quantico," in which she played the role of an FBI agent, and the show ran from 2015 to 2018. With her show being successful and the audience loving her performance, the actress managed to impress a lot of filmmakers and was offered small yet important roles in movies including Baywatch, Isn’t It Romantic, and A Kid Like Jake. She acknowledged that it is not easy for South Asian actors to make it in Hollywood in the blink of an eye, but it takes constant effort and, she added, "I feel people need to be conscientious about creating opportunities for people of color. As South Asian actors, we don’t have enough opportunities in Hollywood. We have to fight much harder to get lead parts or prominent roles in big commercial movies. It takes a lot of work."
There is no doubt with the fact that even though Priyanka works in Hollywood and is married to Nick Jonas, she will forget her roots. Just like various other South Asian artists in the industry, Priyanka is also trying to create opportunities, images, and as a whole a wide representation for the South Asian artists in Hollywood. She added, "Few of us South Asians, like Mindy Kaling, Aziz Ansari, Hasan Minhaj and Riz Ahmed, where we have pushed the envelope, where the door has been kicked open, and we have demanded a seat on the table." She also added that there is not yet a seat at the table for South Asian representation but the artists including her have a long way to go even though they are almost at the door.
Priyanka Chopra, who has been working in the industry for the past seven years, feels that she has finally managed to develop trust and her work is getting acknowledged now, but there is a lot that needs to be done to make her as successful and impactful as she is in Bollywood. She added, "I want to try to have at least as prolific a background in entertainment as I did back in India."
The actress has tried to manage her work both in the west and in India and shared with the Hindustan Times, "You can take me out of India, but you can't take India out of me." My culture or me being who I am just sort of goes with me in a bubble wherever I'm. So I never feel like I'm away from home at all. My home is always with me, my mandir (altar) is always with me, my mom is always with me, and my achaar (pickles) is always with me. So you know, I'm good. I don't ever feel that way. And I also feel it's been very strategic, and I've always wanted to balance both industries because there are very few actors around the world who have been able to do that."
One of the interesting things that have recently caught everyone’s attention was Priyanka Chopra dropping her husband’s surname from her Instagram bio, which fueled the rumors of the couple being in a rocky spot in their relationship. To clear the air, Priyanka decided to address the issue herself, as she mentioned, "I don’t know! I wanted the username to match my Twitter, I guess. I just find it really amusing that everything becomes such a huge deal to people! It’s social media, guys. Just chill out! "
Priyanka Chopra was recently referred to as the "wife of Nick Jonas" and she wonders how that keeps happening to women. She wrote in a post, "Very interesting that I'm promoting one of the most iconic film franchises of all time, and I'm still referenced as "the wife of..." Please explain how this still happens to women. Should I add my IMDb link to my bio? "
