Nick Jonas Says The Lion King Always Makes Him Cry While Watching It With Daughter Malti

Nick Jonas has revealed that one Disney classic never fails to make him emotional. During a panel discussion for his new film Power Ballad at New York City’s 92NY on Monday, May 18, the singer-actor joined co-star Paul Rudd and director John Carney for a conversation with Josh Horowitz, where he opened up about fatherhood, films and the stories he now gets to revisit with his daughter, Malti Marie.

Nick Jonas Says The Lion King Makes Him Cry

During the interaction, Horowitz asked Nick whether there were any songs or films that made him emotional. The musician responded by first speaking about Power Ballad, saying that a couple of scenes in the film affected him deeply as a father.

He said, “Well, I’ll say there are two scenes in this movie that

I’m not in, and they hit me super hard as a father. I think there’s a real thing that you’ll see. I want you to think about this powerful stuff, family, that aspect. Then, outside of that, when I cry over a movie, it’s The Lion King.”

Nick added that watching films like The Lion King with his 4-year-old daughter has made the experience even more meaningful for him.

He said, “You know, things that I’m getting to watch with my daughter these days and kind of read some of those experiences, the stories that shaped who I became, and now I’m sharing that with her. It’s a totally special thing to experience.”

He also admitted that he “always” cries while watching movies on planes.

Nick Jonas And Priyanka Chopra’s Life With Malti

Nick welcomed daughter Malti Marie with wife Priyanka Chopra Jonas in 2022. The singer often shares glimpses of his life as a father on social media. On April 8, he posted a sweet picture of himself kissing Malti on the head and captioned it, “Week 1 in Vancouver ⚪️🐘.”

Priyanka too has spoken about raising Malti and protecting her sense of normalcy. During an appearance on Amanda Hirsch’s Not Skinny But Not Fat podcast last month, the actor said that as Malti grows older, they are trying to give her as much anonymity as possible.

She said, “As she’s growing older, we’ve started to also kind of just deflect a little bit. She moves around a lot, [so we] let her have as much anonymity as she can.”

Priyanka added that she does not want Malti to grow up feeling afraid or suspicious of people simply because of public attention around her.

She said, “It is her normal, and people will be curious about her, and I never want her to be fearful of that or judgy or skeptical of the humans she meets because there are good people in the world, and I’ve had wonderful experiences with friends like that. It’s okay for her to be aware of it, but to have a sense of choice, I think, will be important.”

Priyanka Chopra Calls Nick A Hands-On Father

In an earlier interview with Vogue Arabia, Priyanka praised Nick’s parenting style and called him “very hands-on.”

She shared, “My husband is very hands-on and even today — because I had to jump on this interview — he was the one preparing her for silly hair day at school. He did the cutest lopsided pigtails on her.”

She added, “Our baby is like a magnet to us, and we run to her wherever we are in the world.”

Priyanka had also taken Malti along while filming her 2025 movie Heads of State. Speaking to E! News at the time, she said Malti spent time on the film’s Provence location with her grandmother and enjoyed little routines like visiting a bakery for croissants.

About Power Ballad

In Power Ballad, Nick Jonas plays Danny Wilson, a former boy band singer whose career gets a fresh boost after he takes a song from Rick, a past-his-prime wedding singer played by Paul Rudd.

The film follows Rick and Danny after they bond over music during a late-night jam session. However, things turn complicated when Danny turns one of Rick’s songs into a career-reviving hit, prompting Rick to fight for the recognition he believes he deserves.

Power Ballad is currently playing in theatres.