Samantha revealed that she pleaded with Raj and DK to cast another actress in her place after she was diagnosed with myositis.
After winning hearts on the big screen with her impressive performances, Samantha is all set to showcase her action side in Amazon Prime Video’s upcoming espionage thriller series Citadel: Honey Bunny. Also starring Varun Dhawan, the Raj and DK directorial features Samantha as an aspiring actress who gets pulled into the world of spies.
Recently in an interaction with Galatta India, Samantha confessed that she was initially unsure about meeting the physical demands of this role as she was battling some health complications. For the unversed, in 2022, the ‘Majili’ actress had taken to social media to reveal that she had been diagnosed with myositis, an autoimmune disorder.
Samantha told the publication that she even pleaded with the series’ director-duo Raj and DK to replace her with some other actress, and even suggested them a few names.
The actress recalled, “I begged them to move on because I really didn’t think I could do it. I was really sure I couldn’t.” She even went so far as to provide a list of other actresses she believed would excel in her role, stating, “I sent other recommendations, ‘Look at this heroine, she is so amazing. She will kill it. I beg you I can’t do this.’ I sent like four options to them. I was really not well.”
Samantha, despite her doubts, managed to push through and found strength in the challenge.
“Now, watching this show, I am so thankful that they didn’t make it without me and that I found the strength to do it. Even before the verdict is out for this show, I am going to give it to myself for pulling through,” she was quoted as saying.
Previously, at the trailer launch event of Citadel: Honey Bunny, her co-star Varun Dhawan lauded her tenacity as an actor and said that he had never been on a shoot or a creative process like that before, where he witnessed a co-actor going through such challenges.
“You learn a lot about human resilience and strength when you see someone battling something and still succeeding. Samantha inspired not just me, but also Raj, DK, Sita, and everyone at Amazon. Her dedication to this action show is truly inspirational,” Varun told reporters.
Citadel: Honey Bunny is Samantha’s second digital show after The Family Man- Season 2 (2021).
