Award-winning actress, producer, and New York Times best-selling author, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, took the BlogHer stage for International Women's Day with VP of Video Reshma Gopaldas to discuss how Priyanka took her career from the Miss World pageant to a worldwide sensation. They also discuss the importance of knowing your worth and staying resilient.
Her new book "Unfinished" covers it all from beauty pageants, to her rise in Bollywood, her family, her parents, who were both army doctors, to losing her father, and her marriage to Nick Jonas.
Priyanka talks about the challenges she's faced, directors and producers who didn't treat her well. Priyanka also say she wants women to stop being pitted against each other. In fact, she reveals that when she was on "Quanitco," Kerry Washington and Ellen Pompeo helped her feel comfortable. And mentoring girls and people is something that she loves.
Priyanka discusses her new romantic comedy "Text For You" with "Outlander's" Sam Heughan and Celine Dion. She and Heughan play love interests and were filming during Covid. She said at first everyone was nervous around each other but since she and Sam had to kiss in the film, they decided hugging would be ok. When asked if she'd sing karaoke with Sam Heughan or the legendary Celine Dion, Priyanka is emphatic about singing with Sam. You'll have to watch why.
She talks about how she wants more representation on television. She used to love "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" but wishes she has someone that looked like her growing up on TV. She and Mindy Kaling are working on a new project together. As for television, would she consider guesting on "Outlander" or any other television shows? She says she loves "Wanda Vision," and Elizabeth Olsen is amazing, and "Call My Agent" too.
Priyanka ends by saying she what she wants people to stop telling young girls. It's simple, she wants people to stop telling young girls what to do or how to be.
Priyanka Chopra Jonas is a multi-faceted talent and one of the most recognized personalities in the world.
She is the recipient of numerous awards as an actor and producer, with more than sixty international and Hollywood films to her credit. Most recently, she starred in the Netflix features We Can Be Heroes, directed by Robert Rodriguez, and an adaptation of the Man Booker Prize-winning novel The White Tiger, which she also executive produced. Chopra Jonas starred in and co-produced The Sky is Pink, an independent foreign language film that premiered as an official selection at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2019, and is currently developing an untitled buddy comedy with Mindy Kaling and Dan Goor for Universal, which she will co-produce and star in. Priyanka is also in production for the Russo Brother’s Citadel; The Matrix 4; and Where Does My Heart Beat Now with Sony Pictures. Under her production banner Purple Pebble Pictures, Chopra Jonas is partnered with Amazon Studios on a First Look TV deal, where she will develop a slate of global content for the streamer. Purple Pebble Pictures is also partnered with ViacomCBS to create original content focused on diversity and inclusion for its entertainment and youth channels.
Chopra Jonas made history as the first Indian-born actor to lead an American network TV series when she starred in the ABC dramatic series Quantico, winning two People’s Choice awards for her work. The Padma Shri, one of India’s highest civilian honors, was conferred on her in 2016. She was featured on the cover of Time magazine’s “Time 100” issue, in which she was named one of the “Most Influential People” in the world, and has been recognized as one of Forbes “Most Powerful Women.”
Chopra Jonas is a global UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, and recipient of the prestigious Danny Kaye Humanitarian award. She is also a Global Citizen ambassador, and is involved in a number of efforts to protect children’s rights and to promote the education of girls around the world. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Nick, and Diana, Gino, and Panda, their three dogs.