When Priyanka Chopra is on screen, it’s impossible to look away. She’s confident and endlessly charismatic, so it makes sense that she commands attention—whether she’s saving the world on her hit primetime drama Quantico, playing the villain on Baywatch or headlining one of her many Bollywood films.

When we fly over to New York— where Chopra currently lives and shoots Quantico—to chat with the star for this month’s cover, it’s immediately evident that she’s just as charming and self-assured IRL. The 35-year-old actress tells us all about how she copes with failure (hint: there’s definitely ice cream in her freezer), why she never runs of ambition, and what quirky mantra she lives by.

To read our entire interview with Chopra, you’ll have to pick up a copy of our May issue, but for now, here’s what she says about whether playing a gorgeous, high-heeled badass on TV sets unrealistic expectations for the rest of us mere mortals:

“Yes and no. I find it funny too—my hair isn’t perfect all the time, but Alex’s is. She’s my hot alter ego. It’s TV, so there has to be an element of fantasy. But, that said, when you see Bruce Willis saving the world and blowing up helicopters in a crisp white shirt, men don’t ask why you’re setting a standard for men to look like that. Why do women have to feel that way about it?

“Seeing a pretty girl shouldn’t make us feel bad about ourselves. When I was younger, I didn’t see people who looked like me in magazines. That doesn’t mean I didn’t aspire to it. I got inspired by the other achievers I saw and made myself the best version of me.”

For our full interview with Priyanka Chopra, pick up the May 2018 issue of ELLE Canada available on newsstands April 9, or online at ELLECanada.com/store now.