Not too long ago, I enjoyed a wonderful chat with Priyanka Chopra at The FADER about the break-out success of Quantico and how feminism is inspiring Chopra to take on more challenging roles. Our conversation didn’t end there, however. We talked a little about about who else she would bring from Bollywood to Quantico if she could and then riffed on a few soft-ball topics. Check the whole conversation out below.
If you could ask any other Bollywood stars to join you on Quantico…who would you ask?
I would love Amitabh Bachchan — he’s amazing. I’d want him to play his character from Don. An evil mafia head. Or like the dictator of a country. It’d be cool to have that! I think it would be amazing to have Deepika Padukone, too. She’s another ass-kicking girl. Also, Hrithik Roshan — he’s such a malleable actor. He becomes anything. And as you can see, our show is about a lot of talented and good-looking boys.
If you could ever film your ideal Hollywood movie…who would be on your wishlist of directors to work with?
Wow. Hmm. James Cameron and Guy Ritchie for sure. But I think I’m going into this with not too many expectations. I’ve been in the Indian film industry for almost 15 years now. I now know everything there is to know about that industry. I’m completely new here. I don’t know people too much. I’m just getting the feel of things, which is what I’ve done all my life. I take on parts which are interesting based on instinct. And whenever it comes to me. That’s what I did with Quantico. I hope that happens with whatever other work I do here.
You travel a lot between India and the U.S. for work…what do you do to stay busy on those flights?
Oh my God! I sleep like 16 hours. I don’t get that kind of luxury. It’s my favorite time, when I’m sitting in a plane with no one asking anything of me, expecting anything of me. I sleep. I wake up. I eat so much food. Maybe watch a movie while I’m eating. And pass out. It’s the most amazing time ever.
You’re stranded on a deserted island. You get to bring three things — what would you bring?
[Laughs] You sound like Miss World! This is like one of the questions that might’ve been asked in the final round. The one thing I would need would be my cell phone, because I am that girl. But I’m assuming I wouldn’t have a network. However, it’s so much more than that. I have books on it, I have entertainment…I have everything! I write in it. Even without the internet, it would be important.
Eventually if I’m stuck on a deserted island, I’m going to run out of food. At some point, I can eat leaves and berries and hunt. I’m a survivor. But I would definitely bring my Indian pickles. The Indian girl in me could not eat food without it. The last thing I would bring would be a pair of comfortable shoes. I don’t like being barefoot in the dirt. It sounds terrible.
At the end of the day, how are you feeling?
This is a really exciting time for me. It’s great getting to know everyone — and for them to get to know me. I’m so happy with the response for this show. The only thing I can say is that I’ve read up to episode 9 and this show keeps getting better. I hope you enjoy the ride!
Rohin Guha is an editor at The Aerogram. Follow him @ohrohin. Follow The Aerogram @theaerogram.
