Chopra talked about her role in the FBI thriller that finds her character framed for a terrorist attack at the Television Critics Association press tour on Tuesday, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The show premieres Sep 27.
"I had a holding deal with ABC because (casting EVP) Keli Lee came to me in India while I was filming a movie," said Chopra, who praised ABC's reputation for diverse casting.
"Of all the content, the best content in the world was in American Television, and I wanted to be part of that," she was quoted as saying.
And I wanted to be cast for the respect of being an actor, not for the colour of my skin. Going to school in America, I never saw anyone with my colour skin (on TV)"
Chopra added that she got her pick of scripts at ABC and immediately went for Quantico.
"Any actress from any part of the world would want to play Alex Parrish. She's Jason Bourne in female form," she said.
Chopra also credited her interest in TV work to Kevin Spacey.
"I was doing a master class with Kevin Spacey a couple of years ago," she said. "I asked him, 'What [work] did you find most fascinating?' And he said television, when I thought he would say theatre."
"I just don't know what Frank will do, It keeps you on your toes," she recalled him saying of his House of Cards character.
Chopra said that she is similarly in the dark about what goes on with her Quantico character. "They tell me nothing. Is that how TV works? That you don't know? It's frighteningly exciting as an actor."
Chopra lamented the 15-and 16-hour days she's been shooting in New York and hoped the schedule wouldn't keep her from continuing to do films in India.
"I do want to be able to do my movies and the show," she said. "I've always been able to multitask."
