Exclusive | Priyanka Chopra Jonas reflects on 25 years in the spotlight: I was raised tough, that has helped me

Looking back on her journey, Priyanka Chopra Jonas acknowledges the hurdles she’s overcome to carve a place for herself in the global entertainment landscape.

As 2025 draws near, Priyanka Chopra Jonas is poised to celebrate a remarkable milestone — 25 years as a public figure, since her appearance in the Miss India contest in 2000.

Priyanka Chopra Jonas

Currently, Priyanka is deep into production for her upcoming project. In a late-night conversation with us, she shares insights into her bustling schedule. “I was in the middle of full-blown production for the last few days. It’s the end of the year, and I have finished shooting the last bit of Citadel (second season)” she says in a late night conversation with us.

Looking back on her journey, the 42-year-old acknowledges the hurdles she’s overcome to carve a place for herself in the global entertainment landscape and admits navigating different cultures hasn't been easy.

“But I feel blessed that I was not completely alien to working in the United States. I went to school here when I was a teenager, so that really helped. The industry in itself... the process of filmmaking is same everywhere. It’s the cultural differences which make them different industries, else the cameras, the shots, everything is the same. I can’t be rigid in India, expecting it to be Hollywood-like in Bollywood, or vice versa. Be like water, and not rigid. I have always been like that my whole life... keep quiet, listen and find your place. I was thrown into it to figure it out,” shares Chopra, with whom resonates the campaign Can’t Stand Still by Johnnie Walker Refreshing Mixer.

She further says, “I am someone whose ethos in life is to keep walking, moving forward. When this campaign was brought to me, it was a no brainer. I simply just had to keep walking - in my life and career. I am not daunted by ambition. I have always said everyone can have big dreams. You have to just keep moving forward.”

And figure out, she did.

After making her debut in the Hindi film industry with The Hero: Love Story of a Spy in 2003, she went on to deliver acclaimed performances in films such as Fashion (2008), Bajirao Mastani (2015), among others. In 2015, became the first South Asian actor to star in an American network drama series (Quantico).

Ask her what challenges has she had to face to find her footing in Hollywood and she says, “I have been a public person more than half my life, for 25 years now. I am extremely private. So, the hard part is really to be able to manage expectations or public pressures.”

“I have changed a lot. Being a professional, being able to deal with failure and change... that’s the hardest part. I am not someone who talks about my vulnerabilities or hardships very much. There are some people who do, and I find it very... inspiring. I was raised to be tough and hold yourself together,” adds Chopra.