- By Swati Singh
- Fri, 11 Jul 2025 11:43 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Global star Priyanka Chopra is currently basking in the success of her latest released movie Heads Of State. The movie has been directed by Ilya Naishuller and also features John Cena and Idris Elba in lead roles. Recently, Ilya shared his thoughts on casting Priyanka Chopra as the female lead in the movie, highlighting the experience of working with her.
In a conversation with PTI, Ilya Naishuller said, "She's the only actress I talked to for this movie, I'll be honest. I was just like, 'If the call goes, we'll be lucky to have her'. And I remember she charmed me in about 45 seconds flat over a Zoom call. She's wearing a big, homely sweater and just chilling on her couch. And we started talking and I immediately understood we have quite a bit in common."
The director went on to state, "She went from being so big in India to being like, ‘You know what? I want to risk it and see what happens. I want to go out there and be ambitious and try to crack America'. It is a very difficult thing to do. It always is, no matter how big you are at home, and the fact that she went there and started that path, I was like, I deeply respect that and I admire that. It's courage."
"I just realised either she is playing the charm or she is that charming and that's her. And both things work, because one proves that she's a great actress, as I already knew, or she can be a great fun person to hang around with... And when we got to work, I was like, 'That was her.' She is that charming, fantastically warm person," said Naishuller.
About the movie: Heads of State is an action comedy film directed by Ilya Naishuller, starring an ensemble cast including Idris Elba, John Cena, and Priyanka Chopra. The movie was released worldwide on Prime Video on July 2, 2025, by Amazon MGM Studios.
The project was first announced in October 2020, with Amazon Studios acquiring the rights and Idris Elba and John Cena set to star. Ilya Naishuller was brought on board as director in October 2022. Priyanka Chopra joined the cast in April 2023, followed by additions including Paddy Considine, Stephen Root, and Carla Gugino in May 2023.
Filming commenced in London in May 2023 and continued in various locations, including Liverpool's St George's Hall in June 2023, and Trieste in July and August 2023, where some chase scenes were shot. Additional scenes were filmed in Belgrade, Serbia, in May 2024.