Miss World India Priyanka Chopra was rejected by producers several times before landing her first role in Hollywood.

Priyanka Chopra returns to the television project Citadel directed by the Russo brothers (Anthony Russo and Joe Russo), playing the role of the memory-erased spy Nadia Sinh. The film became the second most viewed work in the history of Amazon Prime on May 4.

More than 10 years since the Indian star first set foot in Hollywood, Chopra has now found her place in the world’s film capital. Her success is a combination of her will to progress and her national pride.

Born into a military family, Chopra often moved with her parents. At the age of 13, she left India to live with her aunt in Cedar Rapids, Iowa (USA). During that time, Chopra took classical and symphonic music classes and appeared in several plays. Three years later, she returned to the Bareilly Military Academy (India) to complete her final year of high school. To date, the star has never attended any acting school.

Chopra’s initial dream was to become an aeronautical engineer because of her love for airplanes. However, fate had her own path. The spotlight came to Chopra when she won the highest title at Miss World in 2000, when she was just 17 years old. From there, the Indian beauty queen entered an acting career in Bollywood and quickly became one of the highest-paid actresses

Chopra on Today on April 27. Photo: Phylicia JL Munn/ Today

In 2012, when her career in her home country was at its peak, the star decided to challenge herself in Hollywood. She entered the North American entertainment market as a singer when she released the song In My City, then moved into film. However, her skin color was an issue that prevented Chopra from getting a nod from producers. She said on The One Show in 2021: “In Hollywood at that time, I don’t think people favored putting brown-skinned female or male leads in the entertainment industry.” After a period of uncertainty about the future, an opportunity came to Chopra that changed her career.

After several casting rejections, Miss World 2000 finally became the first South Asian actress to star in an American television series, Quantico, when she was spotted by ABC casting director Kelly Lee. Chopra said it took her eight years since arriving in Hollywood to build her brand and be ready to move up from supporting roles.

“I don’t mind the hardship because that’s how the industry works. I did the same when I first entered Bollywood,” the actor told India’s PTI news agency

Following the success of Quantico, Chopra made her Hollywood film debut in Baywatch in 2017. In the following years, she continued to take on roles in Isn’t It Romantic (2019) and The Matrix: Resurrections (2021). At the 93rd Academy Awards in 2021, the film White Tiger, which Chopra starred in and produced, was nominated in the category of Adapted Screenplay.

Throughout her career, the actress has been honored with numerous awards at home and abroad. For her role as Agent Alex Parrish in Quantico, Chopra won two awards: Favorite Actress in a New TV Series and Favorite Actress in a Drama at the 2016 People’s Choice Awards. That same year, she was awarded the Padma Shri by the Indian government for her contribution to the arts in her country.

Despite her success in the American film industry, the 40-year-old still yearns to represent her birthplace. “I always feel like I’m an ambassador for India and I’ll continue to be that ambassador for as long as I can,” Chopra told Vogue in 2021.

While living with her aunt in Cedar Rapids, young Priyanka Chopra got angry at her classmates for asking her, “Do you ride bulls to school in India?” That night, Chopra printed out images depicting Mumbai, from its technology to its advanced facilities, for her final presentation. She ended up getting an A and proving to her classmates that India was developing at a pace that was on par with other countries in the worldzz
“My 10 years in Hollywood have helped me achieve milestones. However, I hope the next generation of actors in India will not have to wait for 10 years to get roles that resonate. I always have the fear that if I don’t try, things will slip away from my hands. What I have achieved has come from my own efforts,” the actor told PTI.

After a period of hard work building her career, Chopra told Vogue she wanted to spend the next 10 years with her family and taking care of herself. In 2013, the actress fell into a dark period after the passing of her father, Ashok Chopra. The pain of losing a loved one continued to cause her to fall into depression in early 2016

Chopra’s turning point came when she met singer Nick Jonas. The two began texting during the actor’s crisis and spoke in person at an Oscars after-party in 2017. In May 2018, US Weekly reported that the two were dating. Two months later, Jonas proposed to Chopra on her 35th birthday. “He’s my biggest support system and the person I feel most secure with,” the star said.

Chopra and Jonas got married on December 1, 2018, and welcomed their first child, Malti Marie Chopra Jonas, in early 2022. Despite their busy schedules, the two stars always make time for each other.

Jonas made Chopra feel protected, even though the singer is 10 years younger than her. Photo: AFP

At the 10th Women in the World conference in New York in 2019, Chopra said the secret to her success was having dreams and seizing opportunities. “I’m not someone who has a clear plan. What I’ve done my whole life is take every opportunity that comes my way,” she told Vogue.

In February 2021, the star released her memoir Unfinished, which tells the story of her journey from a young girl wandering around with her family to becoming a famous face in Hollywood. This year, in addition to Citadel, Chopra will also appear in Love Again by director James Strouse, scheduled to be released on May 12. Nick Jonas – the actress’s husband – also participates in this work.