Priyanka Chopra addresses pay disparity, white washing in Hollywood and magazine cover controversy

By Bollywood Hungama News Network -

January 12, 2017 - 10:49 AM IST

Priyanka Chopra is not just any other leading actress but is known for being outspoken. The actress has always been upfront about her views on several issues like saving girl child; pay disparity, women empowerment etc.

Priyanka Chopra addresses pay disparity, white washing in Hollywood and magazine cover controversy

Recently, Priyanka Chopra had a sit-down interview with BBC World News where she talked about several aspects of her life. She talked about moving to Hollywood, how women-oriented films don't bring money like the male led films and difference in the pay between actors and actresses. Addressing that she does not like to get paid less than the boys, Priyanka says, "Yes. I don’t like the fact that I get paid much less than the boys, even though I work as hard as them. Yes, I don’t like the fact that the disparity is so massive. But, it is a mindset thing; it is people looking at women differently than boys. Boys are heroes. Girls are heroines but they are not heroes. When you see male actors and the business their films do – I’m talking about India and not America but even like the west is the same – they will make about, you know, $40m or $50m for their films in box office and our films just about touch 10, 15m, I mean female-led films, just a female lead. So when we are able to deliver, when the audience is ready to watch a female led film with a woman on a poster and make it into a $40m film we will get paid for it."

In 2015, Priyanka Chopra bagged her biggest break in Hollywood after she got the lead role in American TV show Quantico. Breaking the stereotypes and showing diversity on network television, Priyanka Chopra is now known as one of most influential actresses in the West too. But, Hollywood is often accused of whitewashing and lack of diversity like how Oscars 2016 had more white people nominations. When asked about the lack of diversity, Priyanka says, "Whitewashing has nothing to do with just Asians, it has to do with every other race out there as well. Global entertainment needs to see a representation of all kinds of races; diversity is the need of the hour. And I’m really glad that that representation has started with me on a TV show. There is no precedent of an Indian actor ever, whether it’s TV or movies, playing lead characters. But, you have Mindy Kaling, Aziz Ansari, Kunal Nayyar there’s so much representation when it comes to South Asian talent that is getting there but yes it will take time to go mainstream and people will have to watch it as well."

The year 2016 was also the year Priyanka Chopra featured on several magazine covers basically planning the global domination. But, one of her covers became a part of a huge controversy. A travel magazine cover had Priyanka wearing a T-shirt that had three words – refugee, immigrant, outsider that were crossed in red and then the word traveller was highlighted. Priyanka and the magazine were called out for being insensitive towards people who are refugees and immigrants. Both of them later had issued statements after the massive outrage. When asked whether she thought it was insensitive, Priyanka says, "The idea was that the t-shirt was against xenophobia against labels that don’t let people live their lives and move around the world, for whatever their reasons are they shouldn’t be living with that label and that was what the magazine was trying to fight. Obviously, it came across as insensitive to some people and they gave a statement about and so did I."

This interview is just an excerpt from what one can expect when the full-fledged interview of Priyanka Chopra comes out. On the work front, Priyanka Chopra will be returning with Quantico season 2 after the winter break. She is also gearing up for her big break in Hollywood film Baywatch.