‘Quantico’ Was Not Written With An Ethnicity In Mind: Priyanka

MUMBAI – Priyanka Chopra Jonas, speaking at the Bridge Summit in the UAE, opened up about the stereotypes actors from the East still confront in Western entertainment.

Responding to a question about turning down offers that don’t align with long term goals, she recalled how often she had to reject roles built entirely on clichés. She said she repeatedly refused parts that required “the Indian girl with the exaggerated accent… pretty and ornamental,” noting how surprised she was by the number of characters written that way.

Chopra Jonas said the breakthrough finally came with Quantico. She described the show as transformative because her character wasn’t defined by ethnicity. The role, she said, “could have been from anywhere,” and was originally written as an American character without cultural qualifiers. Playing an FBI agent shifted how she was seen in the industry and helped her shed the label of “the Indian actor.”

She noted that many talented performers from Eastern countries still face a similar typecasting in Hollywood, even as their presence and accomplishments continue to grow.

Sharing advice for aspiring artists, she encouraged them to be intentional about the rooms they want to be in and the people they want to work with. Decisions, she said, flow from choosing the cohort one wants to belong to, and learning which opportunities deserve a yes or a no.