Priyanka Chopra Jonas’ unwavering ambition to push boundaries outweighs her inner fears.PC will be seen in a significant role in the upcoming Matrix movie — The Matrix Resurrections, starring Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss, which hits the theatres this week. In a chat with us from the US, the actress speaks about her big Hollywood release, crushing on Keanu, lack of opportunities in Hollywood and why she decided to drop her surname on social media.

Every ’90s kid had a crush on Keanu Reeves! Come on. Speed, Matrix, the works. However, when I was playing the character that I do in the film, you didn’t think about those things. I was very intimidated just being there. I had all my scenes in one night. All those scenes have lots of words and I had to say them all in one night. I had 45 minutes to say them, so I was totally focussed on my job. I went in well-rehearsed, yet was very nervous to say all those words in front of the whole cast and Lana (director Lana Wachowski). I told myself, ‘I’ve done this for 21 years. I got this,’ and I did. When you are batting in the big league, you’ve got to pull your socks up. After we finished the movie and started promoting it, I allowed myself to get a little giddy! (smiles).

Keanu is considerate, gentle and a kind person. He is socially aware and has the ability to read the room. That’s what makes him kind and compassionate. He is just very aware of everyone around him.

I don’t think that’s accurate. I feel people need to be conscientious about creating opportunities for people of colour. As South Asian actors, we definitely don’t have enough opportunities in Hollywood. We have to fight much harder to get lead parts or prominent roles in big commercial movies. It takes a lot of work. I have been working in Hollywood for almost 10 years, and just about now, I am finally doing the work that I was looking forward to. It takes a lot of work to educate the world about the talent and recognition that South Asian entertainers deserve. We are one-fifth of the world population, but you don’t see that represented in English language entertainment. I hope that I can shoulder the responsibility to get more opportunities. It took a lot of pounding the pavement to be able to even create that for myself.

I don’t know! I wanted the username to match my Twitter, I guess. I just find it really amusing that everything becomes such a huge deal to people! It’s social media, guys. Just chill out!

“This is magic. How did they do this?” That was Priyanka Chopra’s first thought as she, a teenager then, watched The Matrix (1999) in a theatre with her friends. Over two decades later, she has the answer. The actor has joined the cast of The Matrix Resurrections, the fourth instalment in the successful franchise. “I was in India when I got a call that Lana [Wachowski, director] wanted to meet me. I was on the next flight to San Francisco. That’s how excited I was. To be a part of the legacy of The Matrix franchise is an honour,” says the actor, the excitement palpable in her voice.

The Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss starrer was shrouded in secrecy at the beginning. Was Chopra told at the first meeting that she was being considered for a role in the iconic sci-fi actioner? “Initially, it was called Project Ice Cream [its code name]. I was only told about my character. Eventually, Lana gave me the script after I met her. [We were] in her office and she was like, ‘Just grab the script’. It was fresh off the presses,” she laughs.

Chopra steps into the role of Sati, whom she describes as “a woman with a purpose”. “There’s something powerful about a woman who is intentional. She knew [all along] that she will cross paths with Neo [Reeves’ character].” The latest in the series is the first to be helmed solely by Lana without her co-director and sister Lilly. “She’s one of the few people in the world who knows what the Matrix is. So, it was important to follow her leadership.”

Shooting with Reeves, Jada Pinkett Smith, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Jessica Henwick was a cherished experience for the actor, who gleefully says, “The first time I saw the entire cast standing together, I had a bit of a fangirl moment.”

Continuing her knack of bagging big-budget offerings, Chopra sets her eyes on franchise’s next edition headlined by Keanu Reeves
MID-DAY (January 30, 2020)

After a two-year stint of consistently springing surprises on cinephiles, Priyanka Chopra Jonas has yet again made fans go: How did she do that?

After reports of her teaming up with Avengers: Endgame directors Russo Brothers hit headlines, it is now suggested that Chopra is in talks to feature in the coveted forthcoming franchise of The Matrix.

The upcoming fourth film will be headlined by Keanu Reeves again. Warner Bros and the Village Roadshow Limited film is being directed by series co-creator Lana Wachowski. Carrie-Anne Moss, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Neil Patrick Harris are also associated with the project. Details about Chopra’s prospective character are currently under wraps.

The Matrix 4 cast has been in fight-training for weeks before production work starts in Northern California. The first film in the series released in 1999, and depicted a dystopian future where artificial beings have taken over humanity, which is unknowingly trapped inside a simulated reality, called the Matrix. It spawned two sequels, The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, which released back-to-back in 2003.

Chopra, who was last seen in the Farhan Akhtar-starrer The Sky is Pink, will next be seen in Netflix’s We Can Be Heroes, by Robert Rodriguez, and an adaptation of the Man Booker Prize winning novel The White Tiger. She will film Matrix 4 in tandem with Citadel, an Amazon series with Richard Madden, from the Russo brothers.