Priyanka Chopra Opens Up About Battling Hollywood Stereotypes

Priyanka Chopra Jonas may have been an international icon for years, but reaching Hollywood wasn't easy for her. Celebrated these days for crossing cultural barriers and representing India on the world stage, Priyanka has just recently said she had to push against deep-seated stereotypes before meaningful roles opened for her in the West.

Speaking at the Bridge Summit held in the UAE, the actress let loose on how things were when she first started job hunting in America. Though she had entered Hollywood with an enviable body of work from India with critically acclaimed performances in Fashion, Barfi, Aitraaz, 7 Khoon Maaf, Don, and Bajirao Mastani she found herself up against typecasting almost immediately.

Priyanka shared that many roles offered to her reinforced outdated and limiting depictions of Indian women. "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," she said. What surprised her most was the volume of such roles. "I was so surprised by how many characters were written with that stereotype," she added.

It wasn't easy to reject one role after another when she was new and trying to establish herself in the industry. Priyanka emphasized that it took courage to say "no" repeatedly and wait for something substantial, a choice many young actors may find difficult. “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,” she said. That role marked her breakthrough moment in Hollywood, earning her widespread recognition and cementing her as a leading talent who didn't fit into the narrow expectations once set for her.

The success of Quantico opened many doors for Priyanka, which resulted in leading major Hollywood projects such as Baywatch, Love Again, and Heads of State. Today, she is highly regarded as one of the most influential South Asian artists working globally, known for selecting diverse, impactful, and multifaceted roles while being a respectable representative of her culture with dignity and pride.

During her conversation, Priyanka also motivated upcoming actors from minority backgrounds not to stick to stereotypical portrayals. She emphasized self-worth, patience, and persistence. Her journey stands as a reminder that breaking into an unfamiliar industry often requires resilience and the courage to reject what doesn’t align with your identity. The successful Priyanka Chopra still offers a powerful example of how saying “no” at the right time can actually be a gateway to groundbreaking opportunities.

This article is authored by Sakshi, an intern from Deccan Chronicle.