Priyanka Chopra at a party in Mumbai.
Who does actress Priyanka Chopra trust to keep her secrets? Her diary - "an old-school version... no laptops or iPads."
Priyanka, who stars as an FBI agent on American show
Quantico, revealed some of what she writes in her diary to
The Hollywood Reporter.
When her mother woke her up with the news that
Quantico had been picked up by US network ABC: "I was so relieved. Happy. Excited. Proud. A little scared. It's hard for me to put into words the amount of pressure I've put on myself for this project. I'm not talking about the technical aspect of it; I love what I do ... acting is in my blood. This was important for me to "win" ... for reasons far beyond my own selfish needs."
Quantico was the one Priyanka "really wanted" of the 25 scripts she read and it was one of only six out of 28 pilots green-lit by ABC. She was pretty kicked, unsurprisingly: "
Quantico has a home at ABC! I'm on my way to set (the graveyard shift), and I've now had a few hours to digest the news. In the car, I was reading all the Facebook and Twitter messages, not to mention all my friends and family sending in their congratulatory messages. I was on cloud nine and for the first time in a very long time. I felt so proud and accomplished ... and I'm not going to lie ... I was tooting my own horn a little!"
Priyanka, a woman who wears many hats, is driven: 'My plan is to straddle two careers: one in India and one in the U.S. I know that sounds absolutely crazy, but I'm going to make it work. I can't and won't let either one go, even if it kills me."
Nobody said it was easy: "This is really happening! I'm sitting on the plane, about to take off on my way to New York for ABC's upfront presentation - and my nerves are setting in. You know that first day of your freshman year of high school feeling? That's me right now. But if you think about it, I am a freshman ... and a TV virgin! I have no clue what to expect, plus I'm the only cast member from
Quantico attending upfronts."
Not least because, this: "I wanted to break the classic Indian stereotype that exists: No, we're not Land of Snake Charmers. We don't ride elephants to work. Not all of us have "that" accent. Not everyone wobbles their head. I wanted to show the young Indians out there that they can break the mold and find success among a global audience. It's about setting goals, working hard and looking for the right opportunities. Many people told me it was impossible."
It wasn't all work no play, not when you have Kerry Washinton in the room: "We practically ran toward each other. Can you believe we've never actually met? We've just had a virtual love fest over the phone and on Twitter. She congratulated me on
Quantico, and I congratulated her on the success of
Scandal. I'm a huge Olivia Pope fan, I binge watch the show when I'm getting into hair and makeup or on long-haul flights, so it was great to finally meet her in person. She was everything I expected her to be. Warm, funny, genuine and so gorgeous."
Priyanka has not only
Quantico coming up but also director Zoya Akhtar's ensemble film
Dil Dhadakne Do releasing on June 5.