Co-Star Reveals a Little-Known Fact About Sam Heughan That May Surprise Fans

Baywatch and Citadel star Priyanka Chopra Jonas, 40, takes an amorous turn in the just released rom-com Love Again opposite Outlander star Sam Heughan, 43. It’s a “meet cute” for Mira (Chopra Jonas) and journalist Rob Burns (Heughan) when she sends a series of romantic texts to her late boyfriend’s cellphone number, which has been reassigned to Rob. He is intrigued and arranges to meet Mira. The film also stars Céline Dion as herself.

Parade's Walter Scott sat down with Chopra Jonas to discuss everything from the film to her relationship with Nick Jonas.

Walter Scott: Of all the rom-com scripts, what made you say yes to Love Again? 

Chopra Jonas: I actually loved the German movie [SMS für Dich]. It was really cute and the tone was really nice. But when I spoke to Jim [Strouse], who’s our director, he said, “It’s up to you if you want to watch the German movie. But we really want it to be really heartwarming, and have the spirit of rom-coms as they’re originally supposed to be. Make your heart warm and make you feel joyful.”

So, when I saw the German version, I felt that. I felt feelings and emotions and I felt moved, and I was very, very inspired to be able to work with Sam and Céline [Dion] and Jim. I think our team was amazing. It was during COVID, and it gave me a sense of hope. It’s just such a beautiful movie about finding hope again.

Your character is very starstruck when she first meets Celine, how about you? 

Céline is one of the most iconic artists of our time and being able to for the rest of history be in Céline Dion’s acting debut is very exciting to me. But she’s so funny and so lovely and she came prepared and was an utter professional. It’s so incredible that we get to share original music from Céline with the world, and Céline being her amazing, magnetic self in the movie.

Related: Celine Dion Triumphantly Returns to Music Amid Ongoing Health Battle

Your husband Nick Jonas is in the film. Was he supposed to be part of the cast or was that a, “Oh, why don’t we get Nick to play that part?” 

It was the latter. It was 2020 when we were filming. Nick was originally not supposed to play this person. But the director and I were talking at dinner about, “Oh, my gosh, there’s a slow, sloppy kiss written into the scene.” And I was saying, “Ugh.” During COVID, kissing a random person sounded very aggressive. And he was like, “What if we ask Nick since he’s here anyway?”

Nick had traveled to London because it was one of the first times I was traveling during COVID and he wanted to make sure to get me settled in. So, he just happened to be here. We asked him and he was an amazing sport about it. He did the scene, and it was the funniest day on set. I cannot even begin to tell you; it was just a giggle fest. Everyone was just laughing.

And I really enjoyed having my husband on set. He was doing something which is the opposite of who we are, so it was just hilarious. I’m really glad Nick came to drop me off in London.

Related: Much Like Nick Jonas, We're Drooling Over Priyanka Chopra’s Mesmerizing Green Ensemble

Did you hit it off with Sam Heughan immediately? 

Actually, we totally did. He’s such a fun and funny guy, and he’s nice. For someone who’s a Sam fan, they’d be really excited to know that he doesn’t just play a good guy in this movie, he’s a really, really good guy, a complete gentleman and super thoughtful as a co-actor as well.

It was a trying time for all of us as actors coming onto this movie but we all had each other—and that was really cool. We could hang out. Sam, me, Sofia [Barclay] and the rest of the cast, we used to all hang out together, grab meals, because we just had each other. It was just very great to be able to have people that you could depend on and get along with.

Your character Mira is a children’s book author and your real-life daughter Malti is 15 months old. What are some of your favorite children's books that you read to her? 

So many, my gosh. I love Hoda’s [Kotb] book, I’ve Loved You Since Forever. We love Llama Llama Red Pajama. Peter Rabbit’s her favorite. I read Indian stories to her as well.

You’re also starring in Prime Video’s spy thriller Citadel. How much of your own stunts do you do? 

Citadel is a completely different universe and a completely different world. Very early on in Bollywood movies, I did action movies. I did a TV show [Quantico], which was very action oriented, so stunts are something that I’m familiar with, and we had an incredible stunt team with the Russo brothers on Citadel.

I would say I did 75 to 80 percent of my stunts myself. I like doing my stunts because I trust my body and I like to embody my character, but I also worked with amazing stunt people that make me look pretty awesome. I’m a big fan of that show and I think it had an incredible cast. It was a tough show, it took a year and a half to make.

Related: Priyanka Chopra Once Took a Stunt Knife Into an Airport By Accident

You had pay parity on Citadel. Is fighting for women's equality something you hope to continue to do? 

I absolutely do. I’ve been advocating for women in positions of power and in decision-making roles. I’ve always talked about the fact that I’ve had a 22-year career and I’ve worked with many co-actors where I was a co-lead, but whether it’s the fact that at Amazon Studios the head of the studio is a woman, Jennifer Salke, I got parity for the first time.

When you have women in positions where they can make decisions, then they create opportunities and a place of respect for other women as well. I want to make sure that that conversation doesn’t stop, so that the next generation doesn’t inherit the same set of problems that we were fighting for.

In 2021, you released Unfinished, a memoir in the form of a series of stories about your life. Are you still a work in progress? And what would you like that progress to be? 

I feel like we’re all works in progress. I’m a different person every single day when I wake up. I have a different approach to life. Priorities change as life changes. There’s no way you can say, “I know myself.” I don’t ever want to know myself completely.

I think the surprise of life is a beautiful joy and we have to experience it as best we can, so I do consider myself unfinished. I hope I always have the privilege and the opportunity to have this incredible platform and job that I have and be able to create art with my friends and family, and the most talented people. I love being able to be a part of an atmosphere that shifts culture. I hope that I’m never finished from being able to contribute to it.

Where did you find the courage to leave a career in Bollywood and move to the States? 

I wanted to expand my horizons, be able to look at new opportunities. I was raised in a very tenacious manner. I saw examples of being able to achieve whatever you set your mind to in my parents. My mom had multiple specialties; she was in medicine, but she kept changing her career. And my dad moved from the military to a private practice, and they moved cities when my career moved to Mumbai.

They never complained, they were just like, “OK, let’s start another clinic.” There was never any attachment to a place or a thing. If we were together as a family, we could always just figure it out. So, I have the same sense. I have a sense of risk taking because I feel like that’s my job. But as long as I have my family and people that surround me, then I can go to work and be a student of life.

I think that’s also really crucial if you want change. To be really good at what you do, you’ve got to be able to listen to criticism and you’ve got to be able to evolve. And that will never happen if you know yourself too well or if you’re very sure of yourself. I think you have to be like, “Okay, everyone can make mistakes and I want to learn.” So being a student of life, I think, is important. But that’s just how I was raised by my parents. They had an adventurous spirit and I have that in my job and my life.

You have an upcoming role in the film Heads of State with John Cena and Idris Elba. What can you tell us about it? 

We’re filming it right after I’m done with the press tour for Love Again. It’s an incredible cast. I love Amazon Studios, and I love the people involved. I just think it’s going to be a super fun movie. Why would I not want a summer in London with my family, with these two incredibly amazingly talented men? This movie’s going to be a lot of work, too, because it is an action comedy, but I think it’s going to be really fun and I’m very excited.

Love Again is currently playing in theaters.

Next, Priyanka Chopra Shares Adorable Photos of Daughter Malti on Her First Trip to India