‘EVERYTHING ABOUT MARRIAGE IS AN ADVENTURE’
ACTRESS PRIYANKA CHOPRA JONAS ON HER RELATIONSHIP WITH HUSBAND NICK, HER ADVICE TO HER YOUNGER SELF, AND THE LESSONS SHE’S LEARNT DURING LOCKDOWN
Happily married for two years, things only appear to be going from strength to strength for Priyanka Chopra Jonas and her singer hubby Nick. And in our exclusive interview with the Indian actress, she openly tells us she “loves being married” and gushes about their relationship. “It’s a partnership and it’s wonderful,” she says.
As well as a deep dive into her personal life, the 38-year-old tells us she is currently on our shores filming her latest project, a TV show for Amazon – although she admits working in a pandemic certainly has its challenges.
“Even though all of the safety measures are being taken, it’s scary,” she reveals.
“We get tested every day and everyone has masks. Everyone keeps a distance from the actors especially, because we are the ones who take our masks off to do the scenes. We’re highly susceptible, so it’s scary and crazy, but I’m also grateful to be able to go back to work. I’m grateful to be actually working,” she adds.
Here, Priyanka – who was crowned Miss World in 2000 – talks about her hopes to make more Bollywood movies, the lessons she’s learnt over the years, and being vulnerable in her upcoming memoir Unfinished...
You’ve been living in the UK with your husband Nick Jonas for a couple of months. How’s married life treating you? I love being married. I’m learning all of the time, which I love. We are both trying to catch up on each other’s years of upbringing, which is amazing and beautiful. That’s the greatest thing about marriage – the learning. Especially when you find the person that’s just right.
Everything about marriage is an adventure. It’s full of curiosity and excitement.
What have you learned about
Nick recently?
Both of us have learned so much about each other’s cultures. I didn’t really know what a Thanksgiving dinner entailed, so I’m learning all the time. I forget so many little things about American culture and it’s the same with him.
Valentine’s Day is around the corner. How are you going to celebrate? Unfortunately, it’s not going to be very romantic. I’m going to be on set. My husband is rather romantic, so I guess I’ll throw some hints at him.
Do you prefer big, showy acts or more quiet, personal acts of love?
I think conversations are the most romantic to me. That’s what I love.
Who is the most romantic between the two of you?
Oh, Nick is definitely more romantic.
You recently posted a great photo of yourself at 17 on Instagram. What goes through your mind when you look at that picture?
When I looked at that picture, I was like, “Damn, I was lean! Where did that waist go?” I guess that’s your teenage years for you. I’ve written a memoir this year, because I’ve been in the business for 20 years now. Writing a memoir really jogs your memory about so many things that you’ve forgotten. You’re forced to think about things and you start to remember more about certain times in life. I joined the Miss
India pageant as one of the contestants and I was really feeling myself. I was like, “I’m pretty and I’m going to be a model.” That was my dream, but I took everything so seriously back then.
What advice would you give to 17-year-old you? I think the one piece of advice that I would tell my younger self is to take the pressure off your shoulders. I’d say, “Listen, all of this is not the end of the world. Focus on really smelling the roses and enjoying the journey.” I think I’ve reached a place in life where I now feel in a much more comfortable position than I was when I was 17 and starting my career. Maybe it’s taken experience to get here, but I would definitely tell my younger self to chill out a little.
What have you learned about yourself during the pandemic?
I definitely learned through quarantine that I haven’t been in touch with my friends and family as much as I wanted to be. During quarantine, I’ve been speaking to everyone a lot more and that’s a habit that I want to keep maintaining. I usually travel a lot and my work takes over. It’s also taught me that I’m resilient. I think everyone is feeling the same way, but I’m finding strength in the fact that I’m not alone in feeling the way I feel.
On to work... What can audiences expect from your new Netflix film,
The White Tiger?
I love this movie and I’m very proud of it. This movie was written at the turn of the millennium and it’s based in 2008, so it’s not very reflective of the India of today – but it’s a fantastic story. As a producer, it has been a quest of mine to create representation on screen and to be able to champion movies that create a debate. This movie happens to be based in India but it tackles the really large subject of class disparity, which exists around the world – and that’s what makes it so universal. That’s why I attached as an executive producer, as well as an actor.
How close do you feel to your Indian roots today?
You can take me out of India, but you can’t take India out of me. I’m still that girl. It’s my greatest joy and privilege to be able to take south Asian stories – which are not represented in global entertainment as much as they should be – and put them on a global platform like Netflix. South Asians are one-fifth of the world’s population, but you don’t see many films with a south Asian cast or story, so it’s been a joy to shoot in my home country.
Over the years, you have appeared in a number of Bollywood movies. Do you plan to do more in the future?
Yes, I do. I’d love to be able to do work back in India and I have read a couple of things that I would really love to do next year. I’m hoping to be able to fit that into my schedule, but it’s a bit like playing Tetris right now.
Do you remember Nick’s reaction to seeing a Bollywood movie for the very first time?
I don’t show him any Bollywood movies. We both didn’t know anything about each other’s careers when we got together. When we were away from each other, he saw some films himself and I checked out his music – but we had to educate each other on each other’s careers.
What will people learn about you in your upcoming book?
My memoir is called Unfinished, because that’s exactly how I feel. It looks back at 20 years in the business from my childhood to now. It looks at the choices I made and why I made them – and a whole lot more. I’ve given so many interviews in my life, but people will now get to learn about the things they haven’t heard about. I’m terrified because I’ll be showing a lot of my vulnerabilities and I’m talking about things that I’ve never spoken about before. It’s very scary to open up, but it’s worth it.