Actress Priyanka Chopra
Actress Priyanka Chopra, who voices the character of "Ishani," poses at the world premiere of "Planes" at El Capitan theatre in Hollywood, California August 5, 2013. The movie opens in the U.S. on August 9. Reuters/Mario Anzuoni

Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra is the first South Asian actress to bag a starring role in an American network. Chopra, who plays Alex Parrish in "Quantico," has now wrapped up her shoot for the ABC drama and is currently in India for the release of her new flick, “Jai Gangaajal.”

In ABC’s drama “Quantico,” which made its debut on Sept. 27, Chopra plays an Indian-American who is a trainee at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). She is suspected of masterminding the biggest terrorist attack in New York since Sept. 11. Chopra bagged the starring role in the new drama as part of ABC’s continued drive to promote diversity on-screen through casting and outreach efforts, NYT reports.

One of the highest-paid actresses of Bollywood with over 50 films to her credit, Chopra said that she felt like a debutante in the US before “Quantico” made its debut on the small screen. According to the actress, the toughest part for her was to muster an American accent. She recounted how it took her a couple of months to roll her Rs and even say “counterterrorism” to portray an independent American woman. Chopra credits her dialect coach and her team for it.

In an interview with E Online, the 33-year-old recalled one of her craziest encounters with a young fan. Chopra recounted how the kid had run away from his home and used up all his money for a train ticket to Mumbai. Chopra added that the kid waited in front of her house for days. When the “Mary Kom” star got to know about the boy, she spoke to him, called his parents and convinced him that he needed to go back home. Chopra also shared that fans keep waking her up during her flights to ask for pictures.

On a lighter note, during the interview, Chopra, said that if she were alone for a year on the moon, she would take her cellphone with a WiFi router with her. Other essentials for her would be her sunglasses and pepperoni pizza and buffalo wings.

“Quantico” episode 12 premieres next year, March 6, on ABC.

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