Priyanka Chopra Recalls Missing Father In Hospital During Hustle: ‘I Was Very Greedy In My 20s But...’

Priyanka Chopra recently looked back at the relentless drive that shaped her early years in the entertainment industry, revealing that she often said yes to every opportunity that came her way. Speaking at the BRIDGE Summit in Abu Dhabi, the actress reflected on her mindset as a young performer and how her hunger for work defined her 20s.

At the event, Priyanka candidly shared, “When I first started working, I was not selective at all. Whatever work I would get, I would do because it’s a privilege to just get work… I would say yes to everything. I was really greedy in my 20s. I wanted to work every day.”

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Now a celebrated name in both Bollywood and Hollywood, Priyanka acknowledged that her ability to be selective

today is a privilege earned through years of sacrifice. She credited her discipline and work ethic as the foundation of her global success, adding that her younger self had to push relentlessly to create opportunities that didn’t come easily.

She further explained how personal milestones often took a backseat to professional commitments. “Now Beyoncé said this, and I’m going to quote her. I feel like I’m on the other side of my sacrifice. I worked really hard. I missed birthdays. I missed when my father was in the hospital… I missed Christmases, I missed Diwali. I missed time with my family… That time, I needed to work that hard. And that 20-year-old me needed to make those sacrifices for this woman to have the life that I have now.”

‘Now I Can Choose When To Say Yes,’ Says Priyanka Chopra

Reflecting on how her perspective has changed over the years, Priyanka pointed out that success is often built on years of invisible hard work. “I do think it’s a luxury… sometimes you’ve got to hustle. There’s no other way around it… having a work ethic, having discipline, and going after it will get you to a point where you can pull back,” she said.

Expressing gratitude toward her younger self, Priyanka concluded, “Now I can choose when I want to say yes, but I couldn’t have done that if she hadn’t worked so hard. So I thank her a lot sometimes. Thank your younger self.”

On the work front, Priyanka was last seen in the Amazon Prime Video action film Heads of State. She is currently busy filming SS Rajamouli’s ambitious Telugu project Varanasi alongside Mahesh Babu and Prithviraj Sukumaran. She also has two major Hollywood projects, The Bluff and Judgment Day, lined up for release in 2026.