Priyanka Chopra's Baywatch role was meant for a man – here's how she changed all that

The director of the forthcoming Baywatch remake has revealed Priyanka Chopra's role was originally written for a man.

Speaking to EW, Seth Gordon said he rewrote the part because he felt Priyanka would be a much more formidable opponent to Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron's crime-fighting duo.

Bow down, world.

Related: Everything you need to know about the Baywatch remake

"As soon as I spoke to her, I knew she could do it," said Gordon.

"I really loved the idea of Dwayne going up against a female antagonist.

"Her approach is purely psychological. It's about outsmarting, it's about out-winning, it's about taking advantage of the male ego, all that stuff.

"She really was just a much more interesting person for him to go up against, because it wasn't going to be just brawn or grit."

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In the movie – based on the hugely successful '90s TV series of the same name – Priyanka plays Victoria Leeds, a wealthy and ambitious entrepreneur using the beach to smuggle in drugs.

Despite the character seeming to bear little resemblance to her virtuous Quantico character Alex Parrish, Chopra says they're kind of fighting for the same team (#equality).

"She has a point to prove," Chopra added.

"She's a woman in a man's world. She's not just a random woman with money, she's self-made.

"This is not just drugs and money for her, it's power. That's the cause."

Baywatch will be in UK cinemas on May 12, and arrives on May 19 in the US.

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Louise McCreesh

Louise McCreesh is a freelance news writer at Digital Spy.