Priyanka Chopra Jonas is opening up about a tough experience with a pay disparity in the movie industry.
In her upcoming interview on theSkimm’s podcast, “Skimm’d from the Couch,” the “Unfinished” author told theSkimm co-founders Carly Zakin and Danielle Weisberg about a time she was told she “should leave” an unnamed movie after bringing up the major difference between her and her male co-star’s paychecks.
“I was told that if I don’t take the paycheck, which was nominal compared to my co-actor for almost the same amount of work — [The producer] said to me, ‘There’s so many other girls who will take this opportunity,” she recalled in Access Hollywood’s sneak peek of the interview. “And, you know, women in movies are interchangeable – in big movies like this are interchangeable, it’s fine.’ And, you know, that really stuck to me at one point, and this was early in my career.”
Priyanka stayed on the movie, but eventually came to gain a new perspective on the situation as she heard more stories from other actresses in the industry.
“I didn’t do anything about it. I had to work within the system because that’s what we’re told, that, you know, ‘If you want this job, this is the only way.’ Early 20s, that’s what I believed,” she said.
“It took almost 15 years for me to get to that place where, you know, I could stand my ground. And it took hearing the conversations from other women banding together to give me the confidence to stand up for myself,” she continued.
Priyanka Chopra: Her Life In Photos
View GalleryPriyanka shares more powerful stories during her time on “Skimm’d from the Couch,” including how she dealt with her grief after the passing of her father.
“For a very long time, I always ran away from my grief, and ran towards work or towards relationships or towards something, but never dealt with the things I was feeling,” she admitted. :And I think accepting the fact that you’re grieving, or you feel sad, or you feel afraid of failure, of, you know, your career, or anything: accepting your feelings is the first step in taking away their power.”
“The White Tiger” star also answered some fun questions about her life for theSkimm’s digital series, “Texting With.”
See Priyanka reveal her favorite Jonas Brothers songs, her favorite Indian dishes and what it’s like to have Sophie Turner as a sister-in-law in our exclusive preview of the video below:
Priyanka’s full episode of “Skimm’d from the Couch” debuts Feb. 10.