Priyanka Chopra Jonas, who stars in the brand new spy thriller “Citadel” (Prime Video), said she was on board for the project from the get-go.
“After I met [executive producers Joe and Anthony Russo], they explained to me what this character was, they desired to create a female spy that’s like James Bond. I used to be like, ‘Why would I not try this?’ After all, I need to try this!” Chopra Jonas, 40, told The Post.
Priyanka Chopra Jonas (who married Nick Jonas, 30, in 2018) isn’t any stranger to TV viewers after crossing over from Bollywood to Hollywood to star within the ABC series “Quantico” and flicks including “The Matrix Resurrections.”
She said that “Citadel’s” status as a world show was especially appealing to her.
“Jennifer Salke [head of Amazon Studios] and I were in a gathering and he or she talked to me about wanting to create this global show that really connects multiple countries and multiple filmmakers and storytelling, with different cultures in a single show,” she said “I used to be like, ‘Wow, nobody has ever attempted that in TV or film, ever.’”
“Citadel,” premiering April 28, has already been renewed for a second season and Prime Video is planning spinoff series in other countries and languages following various spies.
The “Citadel” storyline follows an independent global spy agency (Citadel) where agents aren’t aligned to any particular country, but fairly have the goal of upholding the protection of everyone across the globe.
When the agency was taken down by its enemies eight years ago, two of its star agents — Mason Kane (Richard Madden, “Game of Thrones”) and Nadia Sinh (Chopra Jonas) — narrowly escaped with their lives.
They’d their memories wiped and have been living recent lives under recent identities ever since, unaware of their pasts as international spies.
“I didn’t find myself regarding Nadia, because I used to be really trying hard to separate her from me and disappear in my character. I don’t wish to play myself — I do know myself too well,” said Chopra Jonas.
“However the one thing I did find relatable about Nadia was her have to figure things out. I can’t leave something open-ended; I would like to resolve it, and get to the answer. She’s like that, too. There are only a few female spies that we’ve seen portrayed in entertainment.
“Nadia’s physicality was [inspired by] women I even have admired in motion, like Angelina [Jolie] and Charlize [Theron]. They’re just so good at bringing the smart sexy tough thing,” she said. “They’re definitely an inspiration for me, but I desired to walk in with a clean slate. I actually leaned on Joe and Anthony [Russo] and [show creator David Weil] to assist me create Nadia, in order that she’s different from everyone that’s come before. She’s vulnerable and difficult at the identical time.”
When former Citadel colleague Bernard (Stanley Tucci) finds Mason, he and Nadia reunite and seek to take down their enemies.
“They’re such achieved actors, each of them,” said Chopra Jonas. “Stanley is sort of a masterclass. You’re watching him go grow to be his character, and it’s effortless. Richard [Madden] is a really prepared actor, and so am I. I put quite a lot of work into the characters that I play. He’d do the identical thing we’d each have tabs and highlights on our scripts.
“I actually enjoyed working with him, because we could rely on one another.”