Priyanka Chopra and Richard Madden say their understanding of each other made work easier on Citadel: ‘It was so much fun’

As already seen in the trailer, the lead characters will be seen regaining their memory after eight years, having escaped a life-threatening attack. The actors were asked about prepping for the shoot and balancing the past and present mode of their characters. Richard Madden, who plays Mason in the six-episode action thriller, said that the experience varied for them. He also shared how it was a ‘challenge’ to work with the past and present at the same time.

“It varied. And sometimes I couldn’t just focus on one of them because that’s what David (showrunner) did so beautifully with the script… to create these things that I can use to juxtapose against each other. So what elements of each character get pulled out at what point? And, you know, during the journey of the show, you get to see what elements are built into both of them. And they’re actually in you as a human being rather than just because of your experience in life,” the Game of Thrones actor said.

Echoing his words, Priyanka Chopra said that she too thought playing Nadia would be simple but having two sides and personalities complicated things. She also said that her character carries a lot of baggage and has to navigate really thick waters.

Elaborating on the same, the global superstar said, “She has to hold her head up high while her character is changing, her life is changing all around her. But she has to stay centered because of the burdens that she carries. I think that that makes her.. just very juicy as a character for me to play because every choice that is made by her is burdened and laden by so much pressure. And she thrives in it, so it was really wonderful.”

The actor also lauded her co-star Richard Madden saying she ‘loved working’ with him. She added that they had a ‘great time together’ and their ‘understanding of each other’ helped them sail through this ‘ambitious show’.

Priyanka Chopra reasoned, “Because, yeah, the show is completely non-linear. So you’re kind of going back and forth, and we had to remind each other of the story. And we were like, “Wait, we did that in that scene.” And then, we’d bring David in. It was like a big jigsaw puzzle that, you know, we had to remember. And it was so much fun to do.”

The actors also discussed the action and stunts in Citadel as Priyanka chipped in about getting a wound during the shoot. “I don’t even cover it anymore,” she said as she showed off her scars to the team. She added, “I think Joe and Anthony brought the most incredible stunt team onto the show. I mean, obviously, with their repertoire. They have worked with the best in the business. And we were really lucky to be able to work with people like that. Our stunt team was incredible. I really think Nadia is a badass, and she comes from a place of trusting her body, and, you know, her instincts. And I got to explore a lot of that with the stunts that we did. Every time I would read new pages, the stunts would just get bigger and bigger and bigger (laughs). It was amazing to be able to imagine that and then walk into the set and actually execute it.”

Richard Madden, on his part, said that the show has an ample dose of action and drama. He said, “I think that’s what we’ve managed to pull off because in the middle of these huge sequences with explosions and cars blowing up and all of that, we have this really kind of intimate drama between these two characters and how they dance together. So, for me, that’s what was so exciting about these huge action pieces… was that they are infused with heart and drama and storytelling. We get to see a lot about these characters, and how they physically interact, not just great action sequences but there’s drama at the heart of each one of them.”

Priyanka Chopra pitched in to add, “Like the choices in the action pieces are made because of what their characters are feeling, and so there’s a story sort of interwoven in all the stunts. And that was just very cool and new for me as well.”

Citadel also stars Lesley Manville, Osy Ikhile, Ashleigh Cummings, Roland Møller, and Caoilinn Springall. The web series is executive produced by Anthony Russo, Joe Russo, Mike Larocca, Angela Russo-Otstot, and Scott Nemes for AGBO.