May 27, 2025 06:11 AM IST
Priyanka Chopra auditioned for the role played by Shailene Woodley, revealed by 2014 Hollywood hit, Divergent and director Neil Burger.
Neil Berger’s latest film, “Inheritance,” was partially filmed in India. The filmmaker, known for his edgy thrillers like Limitless, was in India with his star Phoebe Dainiball for filming “Guerrilla Style” in 2022. Even when filmed in India, the film did not feature many Indian actors, and certainly no known names. However, in an interaction with HT ahead of the Indian release of the film, the director revealed that he has approached working with the Indian star.

When Priyanka Chopra auditioned for Divergent
When asked if he wanted to work with Indian actors in the future, Neil said, “It’s funny, but I was just looking at a Divergent poster here (at the Lionsgate office in Mumbai where we met him).” Divergent, a 2014 thriller based on the Veronica Roth book series, starred Shailene Woodley. However, Neil revealed that Priyanka also plays the role at once. “It was when she had just moved to the US and was trying something out in Hollywood. So she went in and auditioned for the lead role, but that didn’t work for a few reasons,” he said.

When the filmmaker explained in detail, “I would rather not enter it, but yes, she was impressed that everyone could hear. Unfortunately, it didn’t work.
Recent works by Priyanka Chopra and Neil Burger
Priyanka Chopra ultimately made her international debut in the series Quantico in 2015. She appeared in support roles in Baywatch, White Tiger, and Matrix Resurrections before appearing on the Prime Video series Citadel alongside Richard Madden. Priyanka will then star in the state chief, an action film starring Idris Elba and John Cena.
Neil’s latest work, inheritance, also stars Rhys Ifans, Ciara Baxendale and Kersti Bryan. The film was released in the US in January this year and reached an Indian audience on May 23rd, with largely positive reviews. Streaming on Lions Gate Play.
