Priyanka Chopra covers the March issue of Harper’s Bazaar UK. I think she’s mostly promoting the latest season of Citadel, but she has so much going on, it’s hard to pinpoint. Her contracts with Max Factor and Bulgari also got a shout-out, as did the eleventy billion other acting gigs she’s booked in recent years. I’ve always admired Priyanka’s hustle and work ethic – she rarely takes a break, and even if a project flops, she’s already on to the next one. Priyanka chatted with Bazaar about her marriage, her work, her big wedding to Nick Jonas and more. Some highlights:

Her 75-foot wedding veil designed by Ralph Lauren: “His idea was to have a 100-foot veil. I said 50, and we compromised with 75. The veil was stitched on to my head and I had to look graceful while tugging [it]. I got stuck at one point and six people from the atelier had to come and unstick it… But when I walked out, it was perfect. My neck muscles were on my side.”

She’s a Cancer: “I’m a Cancer – I cry at the drop of a hat. I love my family, I live to eat. I like talking about dinner when I’m having my lunch. I like the simpler things in life: taking a walk, getting ice-cream, reading a book. And my job is just the opposite – I look great with a weapon in my hand.”

She ate three lunches during her interview: “I eat, but I’m not very helpful in the kitchen. It feels intimidating to me. My father wasn’t a big fan of me learning how to cook. Growing up in India, he always saw the women in his family in the kitchen while the men were eating. So he was very clear that I wouldn’t do that.”

Trying to be a pop star in America: “I was like, ‘Great. Bye, Bollywood.’ I was suddenly in the studio with the most incredible artists – Will.i.am, Pharrell, the Chainsmokers… I realised very quickly I can’t sing. I mean, I can, but I’m mediocre at it. It’s not my place to shine, let’s just put it that way. I was like, ‘Let me pivot back to my day job.’”

What she was looking for in a man: “The first was honesty, because there were times in some of my previous relationships when I’d been hurt by dishonesty. The second was that he had to appreciate the value of family. Third: he had to take his profession very seriously, because I take mine very seriously. Fourth: I wanted someone who was creative and had the imagination to dream big with me. And fifth: I wanted someone who had drive and ambition, like I did.” Jonas, she soon realised, ticked all those boxes. “I wouldn’t have married him if he didn’t. You have to look for someone who respects you. Respect is different from love and affection… You’ve got to kiss a lot of frogs until you find your prince.”

Does she ever feel objectified? “I don’t overthink it. I know the nature of the beast… My job is literally to be seen through a lens. I made my peace with that long ago.”

She’s never used a dating site. “I missed out on that one. I was like, ‘I need to meet a real person, organically.’ Maybe I’m old-fashioned that way.”

She finds it difficult to turn down work: “My job is uncertain. It’s not a cheque coming in every month, so it creates an anxiety. I’m a greedy actor. I love my job very much.”

[From Harper’s Bazaar UK]

I know she’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but I appreciate how matter-of-fact she is about work. Yes, she says yes to a lot of jobs because she has anxiety about money and the uncertainty of the acting world stresses her out. Yes, she’s okay with being objectified because it’s her job and it is what it is. The thing about not knowing how to cook though… that’s interesting, because it is genuinely expected of many Indian women, that we should all know how to cook, and that no one will marry a woman who doesn’t know how to cook. Priyanka is like… no, I’ll just get my three lunches delivered, thanks.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, cover courtesy of Harper’s Bazaar UK.