Priyanka Chopra Is Done With Hollywood Wage Gap, Inequality in General

Priyanka Chopra.
Priyanka Chopra. Photo: PG/Corbis

Priyanka Chopra, a former Miss World and the star of over 50 Hindi films, has become a force in American this year as the badass protagonist on Quantico. Chopra has spoken often and excitedly about the potential for young women as we move into a more gender-equal future, and now, according to the Daily Mail, Chopra has revealed her experiences with the pernicious pay gap when she was making films in India. And frankly, she is over the whole thing.

In an interview accompanying her appearance on the cover of New You magazine, Chopra recalls that after complaining about low pay on a Hindi project she was working on, the response was to inform her that she could easily be replaced. She is insistent, however, that change is coming:

In the last decade, both society and films have changed. Female protagonist films are a huge success now. People want to hear about strong girls who take charge of their lives, because young India is like that today. Women don’t want to be treated as inferior anymore. We want our rights and the ability to stand on our own two feet. We want to be treated with the respect we deserve.

The actress has not had an easy road to success either: When Chopra moved to America as a young teen, she was called “brownie” and told to “Go back to your country,” but with the success of Quantico, she says she’s back in America with “a little more confidence.” She added, “I never wanted to feel subjugated. I never wanted to fear that I was not good enough.” No worries there.

Priyanka Chopra Is Done With Hollywood Wage Gap