Deepika Padukone on Hollywood, Badminton, and Living With Depression

[Interviewer] I might as well grab the paper for her-

Mhmm-

[Interviewer] Hey!

Were you stealing that?

[Interviewer] No, I wasn t stealing--

I m just kidding, come on in.

[Interviewer] Deepika, I am thrilled

to be asking you 73 questions.

Yes.

[Interviewer] Tell me, what brings you to

New York City?

My first ever American Vogue cover shoot.

[Interviewer] Wow, congratulations.

Thank you.

[Interviewer] And how often are you here?

Very often.

[Interviewer] What s the first place you visit

when you land in New York City?

Central Park.

[Interviewer] Favorite restaurant in New York City?

ABC Kitchen.

[Interviewer] When did you first ever come to

New York City?

1999, I think.

[Interviewer] And where were you born?

Denmark, Copenhagen.

Do you speak any Danish?

One word, skal, which means cheers.

[Interviewer] How many languages can you speak?

About six.

[Interviewer] And where is home in India?

Mumbai.

[Interviewer] Can you describe India in three adjectives?

Wow, want, diverse, and full of culture.

[Interviewer] Well, it seems like an amazing

place to live.

Exactly that!

[Interviewer] Now if I only had 24 hours

to spend in Mumbai, what should I do?

Walk around south Mumbai, eat a lot, and come visit me.

[Interviewer] Done. [Deepika laughs]

And are there any similarities Mumbai has to New York?

Tons.

[Interviewer] And what do you miss most

about Mumbai in India when you re away?

Food and family.

[Interviewer] I d love to go there one day.

[laughs] Can I offer you something, some water, maybe?

[Interviewer] Yeah, that d be great, thank you.

Come on.

[Interviewer] Well, it s extremely cozy in here.

[Deepika] Thank you.

[Interviewer] And growing up

what was your favorite Bollywood film of all time?

Mr. India.

[Interviewer] Can you describe a typical day

on a Bollywood film set?

A lot of hard work, a lot of fun, and great food.

[Interviewer] Cinema or stage?

Cinema.

[Interviewer] Drama or comedy?

Thank you.

Drama.

[Interviewer] Now I heard a rumor

that you re an amazing dancer.

Can you bust out a move for me right now?

Who told you that?

[Interviewer] I m not telling.

In a bit, I m just warming up.

[Interviewer] OK, well

I m not letting you off the hook.

Now as someone who has worked in both Bollywood

and Hollywood, what would you say

are the biggest similarities between the two places?

It s all the same.

[Interviewer] What, if anything,

surprised you about Hollywood?

How welcoming people were.

[Interviewer] What director would you

most like to work with?

Damian Chazelle.

[Interviewer] If you could go back and star in any film,

what would it be and why?

Titanic.

to work with Leonardo DiCaprio.

[Interviewer] Such a heartthrob.

What would you say has been your most challenging film?

Padmaavat.

[Interviewer] What s more competitive,

professional badminton or professional modeling?

Professional badminton.

[Interviewer] Was there anything you learned

as an athlete that you found useful

in your modeling and acting career?

A lot of things, but discipline.

[Interviewer] What do you consider

to be a life-changing moment

in your career?

The movie I did, Cocktail.

[Interviewer] Do you recall a specific moment

when you realized that you can make a career in acting?

Yeah, I remember that.

[Interviewer] Okay, and observing your

multifaceted career path,

do you see yourself pivoting

towards something different again?

Production, being a producer.

[Interviewer] I love that.

And what do you find most interesting about that?

I ll know soon.

[Interviewer] And what s something interesting you re yet

to try that you d love to master?

I ve already tried, but I d love to master, a headstand.

Let me show you.

[Interviewer] Ok!

Eh - you re gonna need the practice.

On a scale of one to ten, how busy are you at the moment?

8.5.

[Interviewer] What s your favorite way

to unwind after a long day on set?

Binge watch and dinner.

Perfect evening. [doorbell rings]

Oh, one second.

[Interviewer] What is the one thing that you

would consider yourself to be a master at?

Badminton.

[Interviewer] I wonder who s at the door.

Hi. Hi, delivery for you.

Thank you. Those are lovely flowers.

Is this from you? No!

Trying to make up for stealing the newspaper?

[Interviewer] I would never do such a thing!

Deepika, what s your most overused phrase?

Really?

[Interviewer] And what would you say

is your most overused emoji?

In a good way, the heart emoji.

[Interviewer] What s phrase you

wish people would stop saying?

Hashtag.

[Interviewer] What are you most excited about in 2019?

The film I m going to start working on.

[Interviewer] You recently said...

One second, do you want to come with me?

[Interviewer] Yeah! I m going to place these

upstairs. Ok.

You recently said in a GQ interview

that you like to talk to flowers.

I do. Ok- show me.

Good morning.

[Interviewer] If you were a flower,

what flower would you be?

I d love to be hydrangeas, white ones.

[Interviewer] Judging by your Instagram,

you re traveling so much.

Yes.

[Interviewer] Where were you last?

In transit.

[Interviewer] Obviously.

What s one travel hack that you can share with me?

Hydration, always hydrate.

[Interviewer] What s a country you re desperate

to visit that you haven t been to yet?

I ve already been to, but I d love to visit Mexico again.

[Interviewer] If you could travel with any person

as your guide, who d that person be?

Living or dead?

I d like to be the guide with Princess Diana.

[Interviewer] Where would you guys go?

To India.

[Interviewer] And what would you guys do?

Walk around, eat.

[Interviewer] Sounds good. [Deepika chuckles]

Sorry, could you help me water the flowers, please?

[Interviewer] Sure, no problem.

Now have you ever Googled yourself?

[Deepika] I d love to say no, but yes.

[Interviewer] And what s the first thing you thought of

when you woke up this morning?

[Deepika] Sunshine.

[Interviewer] Do you have any

daily beauty routines or rituals?

[Deepika] Moisturize.

[Interviewer] What s one product

that you cannot go a day without wearing?

Sunscreen.

[Interviewer] Who s your fashion icon?

Cliché, but Audrey Hepburn.

[Interviewer] What are three things

that every woman should own?

An amazing pair of jeans, an amazing white shirt,

and the correct lingerie.

[Interviewer] And what s the most extravagant thing

that you ve ever worn?

I d say the pink Ashi Studio gown

that I wore to Cannes in 2018.

I remember that one. Yeah. [laughs]

[Interviewer] And I remember that Beyonce chose

to wear the same exact dress.

Yes.

[Interviewer] And if you could wear one

of Beyonce s iconic outfits, which one would it be?

I d wanna steal all of her show costumes, to be honest.

[Interviewer] You were recently named one

of Time 100 s Most Influential People.

Yes. How did that feel?

I have to admit, I did feel a small sense of achievement.

[Interviewer] And you chose to share your experience

of living with depression.

How did it feel to speak about that for the first time?

Very liberating.

[Interviewer] What was your motivation to do that?

To destigmatize mental illness.

[Interviewer] What do you think

the most common misconception is

about depression?

That it won t happen to anyone.

[Interviewer] What s your life mantra?

Live, love, and laugh.

[Interviewer] What does feminism mean to you?

Equality.

[Interviewer] How do you feel about where feminism

is currently in India?

It s in a great place, but we still have a long way to go.

[Interviewer] What drives you in your advocacy work?

Little children, because they re so innocent.

[Interviewer] Oh, right,

and what do you love most about them?

About how they re so cute

and why they should never grow up.

[Interviewer] What s the most beautiful place

that you ve ever seen?

The Maldives.

[Interviewer] What s the best

concert that you ve ever been to?

Coldplay in Berlin.

[Interviewer] Now Deepika,

we re towards the end of this interview

and I believe we talked about you showing me

some dance moves. Yes, you remembered!

Okay, hold on, one second. Ok.

What s your favorite color to wear?

White.

[Interviewer] What s your go-to karaoke song?

Any Mariah Carey song.

[Interviewer] What s your biggest pet peeve?

Lies.

[Interviewer] What s your worst habit?

[Deepika] I think I clean up too much.

[Interviewer] What show are you binge watching right now?

Ozark.

[Interviewer] How would you describe your sense of humor?

Honest.

[Interviewer] What s the best advice you ve received

from your parents?

To be honest.

[Interviewer] What s something you ve

learned to love with age?

To be authentic.

That s important. [Deepika chuckles]

[chuckles] Hold on. Okay.

[music turns on] Ready?

[Interviewer] I m ready.

[Deepika exhales sharply] Let s do it.

Oh my gosh.

Bollywood meets flossing. Blossing.

[Interviewer] You better trademark that.

Alright, I m out of here. Bye!