Bollywood actor Diana Penty made her grand debut alongside Deepika Padukone and Saif Ali Khan in Cocktail and won everyone’s hearts with her performance. However, she then did no films for four years until Happy Bhag Jayegi in 2016. In a recent interview with Hollywood Reporter India, Diana opened up about how people told her to be a certain way to survive in the industry, but she refused to let other people’s expectations define her.

Diana Penty on the pressure of changing herself to fit in

Diana recalled feeling pressured during her initial days in the industry as many people advised her to change her personality in order to fit in. She said, “I’ve always been a bit shy, a bit of an introvert, not much of a people’s person, per se. So I tried to take their advice — be easier to talk to, walk into a room a certain way, say the right things. I attempted it, and after many years, I realised it was such an effort. It was exhausting to be somebody that you’re not.”

She revealed she has finally made peace with it now, adding, “Eventually I was just like, screw that. I’m going to be me. Take it or leave it. If that means stupid jokes every now and then, or being sarcastic — that’s who I am. People don’t always get it, and I kept feeling this pressure to be more polite, more affable, more friendly. But after a point I realised it’s not sustainable in the long run. It took a toll on me. If you don’t want to give me a film because of the kind of person I am, then it doesn’t matter to you what kind of actor I am. And that’s fine.”

Diana Penty’s upcoming work

Diana will next be seen in the show Do You Wanna Partner. The comedy series, produced by Dharmatic Entertainment, is directed by Archit Kumar and Collin D’Cunha.

The show stars Tamannaah Bhatia and Diana Penty as two friends launching a craft beer start-up in a male-dominated industry. Exploring female entrepreneurship, friendship, and resourcefulness, it also features Jaaved Jaaferi, Nakuul Mehta, Shweta Tiwari, Neeraj Kabi, Sufi Motiwala, and Rannvijay Singha in key roles. The series is set to premiere on Prime Video on 12 September.