Jacqueline Fernandez : “I Feel Strongest When I'm Making My Own Decisions”

Jacqueline Fernandez has a lot going on in her life right now—she’s just snagged the lead role in a Netflix original, is juggling multiple businesses, training hard and learning how to be a loving cat-mom to her, erm, grandkittens. Our cover star speaks about becoming Jackie Version 2.0, her creative outlets, and an important thing she would like people to practice and preach..

Cosmopolitan: You recently announced your Netflix debut—Mrs Serial Killer—and it’s all over the Internet. Tell us more about it...

Jacqueline Fernandez: “The first time Shirish (Kunder) narrated the script, I loved the concept. He’s written a really fascinating script about a girl who has to overcome a very dire situation, and has to turn into a serial killer. And it’s something that I really wanted to do. Playing the lead is a great opportunity for me, and I wanted to get out of my comfort zone as well. Earlier, when scripts like these would come my way, I didn’t take them on because I didn’t feel like I was ready...”

C: ...so what drew you towards this project?

JF: “I’m a huge Netflix fan...I pretty much live on that stuff. And when the opportunity presented itself—a fabulous script coupled with a great platform—all the pieces came together perfectly.”

C: Are we right to assume there will be no song-anddance sequence in this one...

JF: “I think Netflix follows a similar format across the world, which is great because it means that whatever we make here will have an international audience. And yeah, I mean it’s very different for me. I’ve never ever done a film without songs! Like, that’s always been one of the things I’ve geared up for—dance practice, choreography—it has always been a part of every single film I’ve ever done. And this is completely new territory for me—how do I express what I’m feeling without a song sequence coming into place and me jumping into a different costume [laughs]. It’s almost alien to me. But at the same time, I’ve also grown up watching world cinema. So I understand the nuances and the difference between these two genres.”