
Priyanka Chopra on 'Quantico,' Canadian winters and Angelina Jolie
By Bill Brioux
If there’s one name to know this fall, it’s Priyanka Chopra. While the star of Quantico is new to most TV viewers here, she’s a celebrity in her native India, boasting more than 11 million Twitter followers. Now the former Miss World, 33, is earning more admirers as FBI recruit Alex Parrish on the popular new drama.
Her Quantico castmates are well aware of Priyanka’s celebrity status. “Everywhere we shoot, people come out and scream her name,” says Cougar Town ’s Josh Hopkins, who plays her FBI instructor. Not that she acts like a diva; when Hello! visited the Montreal set of her show, the friendly actress was quick to ask if anyone wanted coffee or tea. Here, she reflects on her path to stardom.
Photo: © Getty Images
Priyanka, did you always have your
sights set on being an actress?
I was a physics and math student. I wanted
to be an aeronautical engineer and
build planes.
You spent your high school years in
the U.S. How did you wind up in a
beauty pageant back in India?
When I
was 16, my mother sent in my pictures
to Miss India without my knowledge.
What happened?
I won it! When I
landed in London for Miss World, I
saw there were girls who were at least
twice as tall as I am and I thought,
“What am I even doing here?” Then I
ended up winning that, too.
Did winning Miss World open the
door to Bollywood?
Lots of movie offers
came to me. My dad said if
I wanted to give it a shot, I
should have a time limit,
like a year and a half. If
not, I’d go back to college;
there were always
planes. My first movie
did really well and I
never looked back. I
realized that, besides
Beyoncé, I’m destiny’s
other favourite child. Very
few people are fortunate
enough to wake up every morning
and love their job. I don’t
take that for granted.
Priyanka was recently nominated for a People’s Choice Award for her work in Quantico (Sundays, CTV).
What do you like most
about playing FBI recruit
Alex Parrish?
Everything.
She’s so badass,
but she doesn’t have
to lose her femininity.
She’s vulnerable and
tough at the same
time. I love that.
Is there an actress you’d like to emulate when it comes to your career?
I like the way Angelina Jolie lives her life. I think she lives it on her own terms. I admire her for being the philanthropist that she is.
Were you familiar with Canada before coming
to Montreal to shoot
Quantico?
I’ve filmed a lot of movies in Canada
because there’s a huge Indian demographic in Canada, and a lot of stories
that I’ve done have characters based in Canada. I shot one in Calgary,
which was so cold. There was 10 feet of snow; it was January!