Priyanka Chopra Jonas, who is currently gearing up for the release of her upcoming spy-series Citadel, recently opened up about the pay disparity she's faced in her 22-year-long career.
The actor was at Austin’s South by Southwest Film Festival on 10 March, for a keynote conversation with Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke about her upcoming show.
Priyanka, who rose to fame in Bollywood, spoke to Salke about her struggle in the industry when it comes to equal pay.
Priyanka told Salke, "I might get into trouble for (saying this), depends on who’s watching. I’ve been working in the entertainment industry for now 22 years, and I have done about almost 70-plus features and two TV shows. But when I did Citadel, it was the first time in my career that I had pay parity. I’m laughing about this, but it’s kind of nuts."
Talking about Citadel, Priyanka further added, "I put in the same amount of investment and work, but I get paid much less. But the ease in which Amazon Studios said, ‘That’s what you deserve, you are co-leads, that’s just fair,’ and I was like, ‘You’re right, it’s fair.’ And I wonder: Did that happen because there are very few female decision-makers in Hollywood? Would that have been a different conversation if a woman didn’t make that decision? Those are not conversations that happened very easily."
Priyanka also opened up about representation and inclusivity in cinema and told Salke, "I feel like in America, we talk about diversity and inclusion, we’re always talking about what diversity looks like, and how everyone should be seen. But I think true global diversity also matters. Everyone also needs to be heard. It’s not just about the way you look in entertainment. Diversity is about how you sound — the words that come out of your mouth, the language that you use."
Citadel, created by Josh Appelbaum and Bryan Oh and produced by the Russo brothers, stars Priyanka and Richard Madden as agents Nadia Singh and Mason Kane, respectively. The first season of the show will premiere on Amazon Prime Video on 28 April with the first two episodes.
Meanwhile, the Indian adaptation of Citadel will be directed by Raj and DK and feature Varun Dhawan and Samantha Ruth Prabhu in the lead roles. Citadel will also have spin-off series in a number of countries, including Mexico and Italy.
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