Priyanka Chopra's struggle to conquer Hollywood was a "humbling experience".

The 40-year-old actress spent a decade trying to carve a niche for herself in the American movie business, and she admits that it was a challenging experience.

Priyanka - who was born in Jamshedpur in India - explained: "I would go into meetings by myself, introduce myself and take my show reel. I worked with acting coaches and dialect coaches. I did auditions, got rejected, cried, then went back for another one.

"I did the hustle that I needed to do to make it in any new industry. It was a humbling experience."

Priyanka has starred in a host of big-budget projects during the course of her career, including 'Quantico' and 'Baywatch'. But the actress thinks that it remains difficult for Indian stars to achieve success in Hollywood.

She told the BBC: "I think maybe I've built a certain amount of credibility, and so I'm doing interesting work. We'll see if that's accepted or not.

"It's really hard to be South Asian and Indian in Hollywood. There's still a long way to go."

Earlier this year, Priyanka insisted that she's determined to break down barriers in the American film industry.

Priyanka - who enjoyed huge success in India before moving to the US - said: "I may make my mistakes, because this is not a mantle I was looking for. But I think collectively, each one of us can push Hollywood, and push the powers that be, and be demanding and not just polite about it.

"I’ve been polite for a very long time. Now it’s time to say, ‘I’m sorry, that doesn’t work,’ and to fight for your characters.

"As a producer, I’m so grateful that I get the opportunity to do that, to be able to make stories and look for stories that normalise different cultures of the world."