Jacqueline Fernandez has been in cinema for around 15 years now, and one of her key takeaways from this journey has been this: women supporting women is everything. “That’s what I want to communicate to people who follow me, people who come into the industry... make it a safe place for them, help them rise. That is very important for the future and the stories that we tell, otherwise it’ll be difficult for us to be seen,” she told The Hollywood Reporter India at the ongoing Cannes Film Festival.
The actor is also one of the seven honourees recently named by the Red Sea International Film Festival’s annual Women in Cinema Gala. “To be honest, I was shocked for a second when I got the call. And then I realised I have been in the industry for 15 years. It’s very surreal. You see the kind of people they have honoured in the past. It was time to give myself a pat on the back.”
While she has had a fulfilling journey in the industry, like any actor, Fernandez has also had to navigate stereotypes along the way. Her fun-loving persona sometimes gets her pigeonholed into a few roles, she admits. “I think sometimes it gets misinterpreted for 'Okay, then let’s stereotype you,' and let’s put you in these roles because they suit you. That has pretty much been my journey. I’m completely grateful for the work that’s come my way and that's gotten me to this point where I can be at Cannes today. At the same time, the struggle has always been that I want to do more.”
Every actor has the right to want and feel that, she notes. “We are very much judged and offered our roles according to the persona we have.” The actress also opened up about coming to terms with her mother’s recent passing, a little over a month ago. “I was lucky that I was able to spend the last few months with her. You always feel 'I wish I did more,' 'What could I have done more?' But I look at it from the perspective of what she would’ve wanted. She was always my biggest cheerleader.”