Citadel: Diana star Matilda De Angelis calls Priyanka Chopra a ‘badass’ and ‘incredibly good’: ‘I wanted to be at her level’

The press screening for Raj-DK's ‘Citadel: Honey Bunny’, which starred Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Varun Dhawan, took place in London in September 2024). The series' starring ladies, Priyanka Chopra Jonas (Citadel), Samantha (Citadel: Honey Bunny), and Matilda De Angelis (Citadel: Diana), posed for a picture during the occasion that quickly went viral. In a recent interview, Matilda revealed she wanted to be like Priyanka because she was so amazing and badass.
During a conversation with News18, Matilda said she was "deeply inspired" the first time she saw Priyanka in ‘Citadel’.She therefore left no stone unturned, going above and beyond to meet the Desi Girl's standard. She shared, “When we were at the premiere in London, I remember watching Citadel and thinking to myself, ‘Wow, she’s so good, so incredibly good!’ She’s so stunning and beautiful, and she was a badass! I wanted to be at her level. So, I trained very, very hard to fill the gaps and meet expectations".
For the unversed, the Russo Brothers' spy universe franchise is adapted into Indian television with the Raj-DK series. The Italian version, meanwhile, will be available on Prime Video starting on October 10 with Matilda's ‘Citadel: Diana’.
Matilda talked about her encounter with Samantha and Priyanka in London and expressed her admiration for both. She said she had only known them for about a year and a half, but every time she sees them, she senses a strong bond between them. Matilda went on to say that she loves getting to see them again and feels quite at ease with them.
Matilda said that the picture of the three of them from the screening night attracted a lot of attention because it showed off the strong female leads in the Citadel universe. She said how excited she was to see them again and they talked about Citadel and how excited they were about it.
Even though Matilda and the two actresses had just met for a few hours the last time, she is looking forward to a more intimate gathering, such as having dinner with the two actresses.
Earlier, the Russo Brothers mentioned that Citadel serves as a response to the James Bond films. Matilda thanked the creators for their dedication to the franchise's goal of showcasing strong female characters in prominent roles, stressing that this decision wasn't made just to make a statement.
She said that although Citadel might be viewed as their James Bond, the narrative itself should take center stage. Matilda underscored that the incorporation of significant female characters holds significance solely when they are essential to the story; otherwise, it runs the risk of merely being a trend or gimmick.
On the other hand, Priyanka Chopra and Richard Madden have started filming Citadel Season 2, with the actress returning to her role as Nadia. On November 7, 2024, Citadel: Honey Bunny, the Indian adaptation, will be released on Amazon Prime Video. Varun Dhawan and Samantha Ruth Prabhu will play the lead characters in the show.
Regarding Priyanka’s upcoming projects, she has finished filming a number of movies, such as ‘Heads of State’ and ‘The Bluff’. She is also in discussions with Farhan Akhtar on the much-awaited film ‘Jee Le Zara’, starring Katrina Kaif and Alia Bhatt.