That Priyanka Chopra Jonas is a captivating orator, is well-known. When the queen bee speaks, everybody listens. And everyone indeed did, when the global icon recently graced the BRIDGE SUMMIT in the UAE, where she engaged in a candid conversation with known speaker Anas Bukhash. PC opened up about the challenging journey of breaking stereotypes in Hollywood and the power of saying no to limiting roles. When asked about how actors navigate rejecting lucrative offers that do not align with their long term vision, in reference to actor Matthew McConaughey turning down multi-million dollar rom-com offers to pursue more diverse roles, Priyanka talked about her own experience of fighting typecasting in the American entertainment industry. She recalled, "So when I started looking for or seeking work in America, I cannot tell you how many times I said no to being, you know, the Indian girl who is supposed to speak with the exaggerated accent, be just pretty and, you know, sort of ornamental, that girl. And I was so surprised by how many, like, characters were written with that stereotype. And I really had to fight that for a couple of years until I got Quantico, which is a TV show of mine, where I played an FBI agent."
Priyanka emphasized how it was Quantico that proved to be transformative, precisely because it wasn't written with ethnicity as a defining characteristic. "I could have been from anywhere. I could have been... My background could have been anything. It was written for an American person. And I just had to, you know, play an American girl. And I'm an actor. I could do that. But it took that many no's for me to get my first break, which changed everything for me, because now I was seen just as a commercial actor, not as the Indian actor. But I had to fight that stereotype," she explained. She acknowledged that this struggle isn't unique to her experience, noting that, "And I know so many... So much talent who goes from Eastern countries have to fight the stereotype of casting in Hollywood. But, you know, like, we're out there. There's so many of us now making and doing so much incredible work. But that was really tough."
Offering words of encouragement and advice to aspiring actors and professionals, Priyanka shared her philosophy on taking tough calls that could make or break one's career. "So I think you have to decide. What's the cohort you want to live with? What's the cohort you want to work with? What kind of room do you want to be in? What are the kind of people you want to be surrounded by? And then your decisions become basis that. The no and the yes become basis that," she stated. Her journey from saying no to stereotypical roles, to becoming a global icon in the true sense, only serves as a powerful reminder that staying true to one's vision, even when it's difficult, indeed opens doors to opportunities that align with one's authentic goals and values.