Hollywood welcomes Deepika Padukone

Deepika is back in the country after wrapping up her portions in xXx: Return of Xander Cage. In a candid chat with The Asian Age, she speaks about her Hollywood experiences and more

Despite the mad rush of managers and assistants coordinating her entry into the room, Deepika Padukone enters looking like a picture of calm as she walks in and takes a seat at the table to interact with the media.

A star with many talents, Dippy has never been one to back away from challenges. So, when she got the opportunity to set foot into Hollywood, she grabbed it without any reservations. The actress, who recently wrapped up her shoot for xXx: Return of Xander Cage, will now get back to working full-fledged in Bollywood again.

“It was great fun working with Vin Diesel and Ruby Rose. From Monday to Friday, we would shoot and during the weekends, we would meet for dinner and just hang out! We got along really well despite never having worked with each other before. They were really welcoming from day one,” she reminisces. When asked about how different her experience of working in the US was, Deepika says that she doesn’t like to separate her Hollywood journey from the rest of her career. “Honestly, I don’t like dividing my projects into Hollywood and Bollywood. As an actor, the kind of effort and hard work that I put into any film is exactly the same, and the only difference is the language. So, I don’t look at it as two separate journeys. I look at it as an extension of my career,” she the humble actress.

The artiste also attributes much of her value systems to sports, which has been a very important part of her life. “A lot of what I implement in my current profession as an actor — be it discipline, dedication, or a focused attitude — all of it comes from being a sportsperson,” she says, adding, “Sports has helped me and my family understand the importance of not only being physically fit, but even mentally.”

Quiz Deepika on her interest in regional cinema and the leggy lass is quick to show she is no stranger to that topic. “If I am offered an interesting script for a South Indian film, I would definitely consider taking it up. For me, language is only a medium to give shape to great content,” she asserts. On being questioned about the competition with her co-star Priyanka Chopra, who has been a success in Hollywood already, Deepika interjects that it’s Aishwarya Rai Bachchan who must be recognised first. “She, for me, is the torchbearer for putting India on the global map. But everyone who has managed to break through into the western market — whether it is Anil, Irrfan, Priyanka, or myself — I think we have all done a great job,” she says with a satisfied smile on her face. “We got this opportunity at a time when all of us are working towards breaking stereotypes. We are all focused on being part of good content, and to be cast in films based on our talent and not because of the colour of our skin,” she says. More power to you, Deepika!