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This interview took place before SAG-AFTRA strike activity.
Think of any superhero, action, or espionage film. Chances are, whatever flick that popped into your head is probably made for men by men. Or, at the very least, has a meaty, muscly (and not too bad to look at) protagonist who saves the day. That’s fine sometimes, but what about female representation? (Because let’s be honest, they run the world.) Industry trailblazers like Greta Gerwig and Patty Jenkins are moving the needle with their female-helmed mega blockbusters (Hi, Barbie!), but the entertainment world still has a lot of work ahead. So, when Hindi movie star Alia Bhatt decided she wanted to make her Hollywood debut, it was a no-brainer for her to take on Netflix’s Heart of Stone as her first English-speaking movie. The draw? She would be starring alongside Wonder Woman herself, Gal Gadot, who is headlining the film as covert-ops agent Rachel Stone.
“What I loved about this film is that this is an action flick, but it's headlined by a woman,” she tells InStyle. “It's something that we need to see much more of. The idea of two women getting at it, going for each other and then doing all these things in these unimaginable situations."
Bhatt comes from a family of filmmakers — her father, Mahesh Bhatt, is a famous Indian director, screenwriter, and producer while her mother, Soni Razdan, is also a Hindi actress. From a young age, Bhatt says she knew she’d be a performer, though it wasn’t until later in life that she’d realize acting was her medium of choice. She made her first appearance on the silver screen as a kid in the 1999 thriller Sangharsh, and in 2012, Bhatt snagged her first leading role in Student of the Year. Since then, she’s gone on to star in critically acclaimed Hindi movies including Highway, Udta Punjab, Gangubai Kathiawadi, and the Oscar-winning film RRR (which took home last year’s trophy for Best Original Song). Bhatt has also personally scored several prestigious accolades for her work, including four Filmfare Best Actress awards and the 2022 TIME100 Impact award.
Her latest (and first American) film, which hits the streamer on Aug. 11, follows intelligence operative Rachel Stone on a mission to keep her agency’s most valuable asset (nicknamed The Heart) from falling into the wrong hands. Bhatt plays Keya Dhawan, the brainiac who has stolen control of the system because of a personal agenda that she doesn’t initially disclose to Stone and her team. While Stone is drop-kicking bad guys and sky-diving out of a plane, Keya is coding and hacking into the world’s most powerful technological entity. And while Bhatt effortlessly portrays a tech geek, she jokes that she couldn’t be more different from Keya, at least as far as cybernetics go.
Courtesy of Netflix
“I am technologically challenged,” she laughs. “I would keep songs in my mind that I would just start typing, so it looks like I'm actually pressing buttons. And I would press numbers in the middle of that, so I actually have a focused expression.”
Although Keya doesn’t have as many choreographed fights and stunts as Gal and their co-stars — which include Jamie Dornan, Matthias Schweighöfer, Paul Ready, and Jing Lusi — when she did join in on the action, the actress had to be very intentional and careful. The reason? Bhatt was pregnant with her first child. She says she was nervous to be taking on such a pivotal role in her career, all while expecting her daughter with husband Ranbir Kapoor, but it was Gal (also a producer on the film) who comforted Bhatt and offered her wisdom and support. After all, Gal filmed Wonder Woman while hiding her second pregnancy.
“She cares about every single person on her set,” she gushes. “I told her [I was pregnant] before I came for the shoot, from that time onwards, she said, ‘I got you. Don't worry about it. We're going to have a great time, and this is great luck for the film.’”
Ahead, Bhatt discusses how Heart of Stone is different from any movie she’s worked on (24 and counting), her big Hollywood plans, and why rom-coms are her favorite genre.
Courtesy of Netflix
How was this movie different from your previous projects and what challenges came along with it?
I think for starters, it's my first English-language movie. And even though I mostly communicate in English, I've always acted in Hindi. So, that was quite strange, initially at least. I wouldn't call it a challenge, but I would say that was one of the first things that stuck out to me as, ‘Oh, OK, this is different.’
I think just generally being a part of an action [movie] — it's this globetrotting adventure — we’re moving all around the world. It's a very particular tone, something that I've not done before.That's something that I enjoy, not having done something before and experiencing it. A lot of the action, a lot of the sequences, a lot of the wire work was something that I did for the first time. I had a great time. Even looking at Gal and seeing how seamless she is when it comes to these sequences, it's like a dance. It was a big learning experience for me.
What was it like filming the action sequences?
All the action that I did was very situational and more defensive than was anything else. But they had to be even more careful with me, because I was pregnant. Because she had been through the experience before, Gal was always looking out for me and making sure that I was staying hydrated and stuff like that. They made it super-comfortable for me.
How did you prepare for the role?
I'm very much a director's actor. Whatever the director wants me to do is what I do. I met Tom [Harper] a couple of times in London. We sat down, talking about Keya and her motivations and where she's coming from. Because we don't want to make the character unlikable, but we have to give her a purpose. We have to also give her enough vulnerability but also make it seem like she can mess things up. It was quite layered in different ways. I let my director lead the way in that. I feel like eventually, no matter how much you prep, the real deal happens while the camera is rolling.
What was it like working with an actress as successful and iconic as Gal Gadot?
Gal is very warm, very caring. She cares about every single person on her set. She is a producer on this film, so I think she was involved from a different layer, just making sure everybody was comfortable. She was always so excited [about my pregnancy], and I was so nervous — it was my first Hollywood film. If I was tired or anything, I didn't want that to bring the shoot down. But they were all forthcoming in saying, "If you need a break, please take a break. If you need to, put your feet up."
Your character Keya is so brilliant and technologically inclined. Is this something you relate to in real life?
I am technologically challenged. I think if you teach me something, I'll pick it up really quickly, but I choose to focus on the stuff that comes easily to me. So, if I need to do anything tech-related, I always rely on my sister, because I'm someone who's always forgetting her passwords.
How did you make it look so convincing?
When I was typing and doing any of those things, I decided to type out a song, because I'm like, if I’m typing randomly, it looks fake, and I hate bad typing acting.
This is your first Hollywood film. Why did you choose Heart of Stone as your first English-speaking film? Do you want to keep pursuing Hollywood projects?
The intention has always been to broaden my horizon as much as possible. It comes from the need to put myself in a new situation so that I can learn, so that I can grow, and so that I can move forward. Of course, doing Hollywood films, I think it's every actor's dream at some point to get that big Hollywood movie in. But for me, the reason I think Heart of Stone was the first film I chose to do is I think it's always about the part. It's about the meat of the part, and for me, it was important that in whatever I do first, it's a part that displays a good enough range of emotions where you can be vulnerable, you can be funny, you can be intense, you can be dejected, you can be all those things. It's never quantity for me, it's always been quality. I was just so excited to come on board because this is so today, it's so current. I love the idea of two women coming together.
Courtesy of Netflix
Where did you get your love of acting?
I was actually born into a family that made films. My father is a producer and a director. My mom has been a theater actor all her life. She's also acted in TV shows, movies, and stuff like that. So, you can say it was in my blood. I remember being extremely young, not even aware of what my parents' professions were, but I just remember loving participating in singing competitions. I remember there was a moment where the teacher said, "Oh, Alia's doing this very well. Everybody look at Alia." I loved that attention. I loved that everybody was looking at me. I would put up these dances for my grandparents when they would come over and put up skits every Sunday.
I think it started from there. It came from a need to perform and the need to entertain. I'm a dreamer. I'm a true Pisces, and so I'm always living in the clouds. The creative bone in me didn't know it was acting and being in front of the camera, it just knew performance and sort of detaching yourself and going into another world. And then when my brain developed and I became older, I realized, this is a job, it's called acting. It was the only plan I had. I never had plan B.
Did you have any role models growing up and how have they changed over the years?
There are so many actors and artists who I just love for their work. But I think growing up, my biggest role model has been my mom. And, of course, my father, as well. But my mom was someone who always put hard work behind everything. I saw her work really hard. She was not very comfortable with the Hindi language, but she would stay up nights just learning her dialogues and doing any work that came her way, whether it was theater, small parts in movies, or big parts in TV shows.
She did everything. That was a huge example for me [that] you can be super-talented, but the only way you'll get through any industry is through extreme hard work. That's been my biggest inspiration.
I never had plan B.
How do you separate your real life from some of the intense projects you’ve worked on and keep a positive mindset?
I think I'm someone who can switch on and off very, very easily. But, I also don't mind the character lingering on a little bit when I'm shooting. I like that. I don't let it get into my life. I don't take myself so seriously. So, I'm not method when it comes to acting or being with a character.
I also get bored very easily, so I don't like to stay with a character too long. I think it's different for different films. And whenever it does linger on, I don't mind it. It means that it's just been impactful and a journey and an experience.
How would you describe your personal style?
I know this is such a cliché answer, but I think it's extremely moody and comfortable. There have been moments, and this literally happened to me at my own wedding, where I had this beautiful dress and it was tight and fitted. It was for a post-wedding party, an Indian wedding. It looked amazing on me, but it was so uncomfortable. I literally waited two minutes, I took a picture, and I took it right off. I got into another dress that was pretty, as well. It was beautiful, but it was more comfortable. I literally cannot be uncomfortable for too long.
The Met Gala was actually quite an interesting experience, because I was uncomfortable for four hours. I sat through dinner with it, I had a massive can-can underneath my dress. But it was something that I said, "This happens once in a lifetime.” Prabal [Gurung], who I wore at the Met, was like, “You're not supposed to be comfortable at the Met. It's all about the way you look."
Courtesy of Netflix
Small Talk
Who was your first celebrity crush?
Shah Rukh Khan.
You mentioned earlier that you’re a Pisces. How into astrology are you?
Oh, deeply. Obsessed with star signs and personality traits. I join numbers together, and I'm like, "Oh, you're number six, and I'm number six. That's why we ..." I'm totally into it. I think my rising star is Scorpio, and that's amazing, because my daughter's a Scorpio. My moon was something completely odd that I found extremely difficult to believe.
What’s your favorite thing to wear?
Pajamas.
What TV show do you watch over and over again?
Friends, Friends, Friends. And Sex and the City.
What was your last binge watch?
It's this show called Scoop. It's on Netflix. It's an Indian show.
What is your favorite spy movie of all time?
I think there’s nothing like classic James Bond, right? You can't go wrong. Always hits the spot.
What is one beauty product that you cannot live without?
Definitely cannot live without my sunscreen. I'm not going anywhere without it. And I'm obsessed with lip balms. I have 16 lip balms with me at all times in different parts of my room, my bag, in my car, and everywhere.
What is your favorite movie or TV show genre to watch and then your favorite to film?
Favorite to film would be lighthearted, romantic comedies. I just love being light and happy on set. What I love watching, at least currently, I'm very into this slice-of-life family films, I think because I have just become a mom. So, I'm loving films about mother-daughter, father-daughter, family bonding, and something in the middle. I also love a good crime movie or show. Right now, I’m just in a very positive, happy state of mind, so I don't like watching anything dark or anything that doesn't have a happy ending. I'm not into it.
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