'Models have always been written off as people who cannot act': Deepika Padukone opens up on her journey from athlete, model to an actor

Deepika Padukone is having a blast serving on the Cannes jury. During a recent interaction with Variety, the actor stated that every time she walks into the Palais and they leave, it gives her goosebumps because every single person in that seat is there to appreciate cinema.

Padukone went on to say that one may like it or dislike it, but everyone is there at the festival to support the film and to support the experience. Everyone is very organised; everyone is on time, and everyone's phones are turned off. Everyone is looking forward to the final credits. And towards the conclusion, everyone is clapping. And everyone gets up.

Some of her fellow jurors' work, such as Asghar Farhadi and Rebecca Hall, was familiar to Padukone, but not all. The actor added that she wasn't totally familiar with all of them, as is the case with all of the jurors. And she thinks what they all did after their initial meeting was to actually study up on our other jury members and see some of their work. So even when one is deliberating, they get a sense of where they're coming from, or what kind of film appeals to them, and so on.

For years, the actor has been a fixture on the Cannes red carpet, endorsing international businesses. Padukone's journey from promising badminton player to model to actor to member of the Cannes jury has been a long one. When she pauses to reflect on her travels, she says she finds it intriguing.

The actor says that models have always been stereotyped as people who can't act; one is either a model or an actor, and the two can't exist in people's thoughts. So, from the beginning of her journey, to her debut, and now, 15 years later, to having matured as a person, both professionally and personally, the actor has gained from every situation.

Padukone is not sure she would have had the same journey if she hadn't been an athlete before becoming a model. The actor believes it was the athlete in her who allowed her mind to be open, which allowed her to make decisions on her own, make mistakes, and learn from them. Things started to become clearer and clearer for her over time.