Priyanka Chopra Jonas on Citadel, Her Recent Podcast, and Career Non-Negotiables

Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Richard Madden discussed their upcoming series Citadel ahead of its Asia Pacific premiere, at a press conference held in Mumbai. Citadel is a spy series featuring Richard Madden and Priyanka Chopra Jonas in the lead roles, along with seasoned talents such as Stanley Tucci and Lesley Manville in supporting roles. The six-episode series has been produced by the acclaimed Russo Brothers’ company AGBO, and showrunner David Weil, and will premiere on Prime Video on April 28.

Priyanka Chopra Jonas, who plays Nadia Sinh in the series, said, “When Jennifer Salke, who is the head of Amazon Studios, presented Citadel to me, she wanted to create an international, global franchise – an original IP that truly connects the world. Amazon strongly believes in diversity, and true diversity is represented internationally, not just by having different skin tones but also by hearing how people speak and delving into the culture. And this show has an incredible ability to span across every country and continent. So, I didn’t even know the story, and I said ‘yep, doing it’.”

Actor Richard Madden, who plays the character Mason Kane in the series, added, “Citadel has been incredibly physically demanding. But I think that’s what really is dreamy. It’s not simply a gun show or a fight sequence. This is how these two characters interact physically and how they dance together. We learn a little more about the two of them in each action sequence. Just like in the drama scenes, the stakes are so high because of the adrenaline of what’s going on. The show just works both in the drama and action sequences.”

Priyanka Chopra, who was recently in the news for her controversial comments about being cornered in Bollywood on a podcast, took a moment to emphasise her stand on controversy, “When I was on a podcast, I was asked about my life journey. So, I was speaking about the truth of my journey. Now I am confident enough to talk about that phase of my life. I think now, where I am, I was okay ‘enough’ to articulate what I felt. I think I had a very tumultuous relationship with what occurred. But I forgave and moved on long ago and made peace with it. That’s why it was easy for me to talk about it in an open manner and in a safe space.”

The actress also revealed the factors that are non-negotiable for her when it comes to taking up projects. “I can’t work with people I don’t like anymore. It’s really a non-negotiable for me. I have to admire and look up to the people I am surrounded with. I have been doing this for a very long time. I want to be excited about going to work. I want to be inspired about going to work, and that has become non-negotiable for me. So, when I meet people I am going to work with, I take mental notes. But that truly is something that has become truly important to me since I have evolved,” Priyanka added.

Citadel will premiere exclusively on Prime Video starting April 28. The series will open with two episodes on premiere, followed by one episode releasing every week till May 26. The global series will stream across 240 countries and territories in various international languages, and will be available in India in English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam.