Priyanka Chopra Jonas has been one of the most successful actresses in the movie industry for two decades, but she has only just now achieved the same pay as her male costar. In a recent interview with the BBC, she revealed that she had never been given pay parity in her years in Bollywood and is only now receiving equal pay for her role in the upcoming sci-fi spy series, Citadel.
The Indian star has been featured on the U.K. broadcaster’s list of 100 influential and inspiring women from around the world. In the short video clip and excerpts from the interview, Chopra Jonas spoke about the importance of pay parity for actresses in the entertainment industry. She compared the Hollywood and Bollywood industries, saying that Citadel was her first time achieving pay parity with her male costar.
Chopra Jonas debuted in Bollywood in 2002 and said that at the time she noticed the way in which men were treated differently on set. Despite being the more talented star, she faced pay disparity, receiving only 10 percent of her male costar’s earnings. She faced body-shaming as well, being called names such as "black cat" and "dusky."
The brunette beauty transitioned to Hollywood with her role in ABC’s Quantico from 2015 to 2018. She was then cast opposite Game of Thrones alum Richard Madden in the upcoming series, Citadel. With this role, Chopra Jonas has finally received her first-ever pay parity.
In addition to her acting career, Chopra Jonas has her own production company and is a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. She believes that having fame gives her the opportunity to make a difference, saying that, “All I think about is what am I doing every single day, can I be a good person and make sure that I create actions within my own life that maybe have a butterfly effect.”
Priyanka Chopras Jonas' fight for pay parity is a mark of progress for women in the entertainment industry. Her words have inspired other women to break down the obstacles preventing them from achieving equal pay. She is an example of how people with influence are capable of making a difference.
