MUMBAI, India — Actress Priyanka Chopra Jonas says performers from Eastern countries continue to confront entrenched stereotypes in Hollywood, recalling her own early struggles to break out of typecast roles as she sought work in the United States.
Speaking at the Bridge Summit in the UAE, Chopra Jonas reflected on the challenges actors face when rejecting lucrative but limiting roles, referencing how Matthew McConaughey famously turned down highly paid romantic-comedy offers to pursue a broader artistic path. She said she experienced similar pressures when she first pursued opportunities in the American entertainment industry.
“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 sort of ornamental,” she said. “I was so surprised by how many characters were written with that stereotype. And I really had to fight that for a couple of years until I got Quantico.”
Her breakthrough role in the TV series “Quantico,” in which she played an FBI agent, marked a turning point. Chopra Jonas noted that the character was not defined by ethnicity, which allowed her to be viewed simply as an actor rather than an actor from India.
“It could have been from anywhere. My background could have been anything. It was written for an American person. And I just had to play an American girl. And I’m an actor — I could do that,” she said. “It took that many no’s for me to get my first break, which changed everything for me… I had to fight that stereotype.”
She added that the struggle is not unique to her. “So much talent who go from Eastern countries have to fight the stereotype of casting in Hollywood,” she said. “But we’re out there. There’s so many of us now making and doing so much incredible work. But that was really tough.”
Offering guidance to aspiring actors and professionals, Chopra Jonas encouraged them to make choices rooted in long-term values and environment.
“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 you want to be in, what kind of people you want to be surrounded by,” she said. “And then your decisions become the basis of that. The no and the yes become the basis of that.” (Source: IANS)
