Priyanka Chopra on starring in the 'quintessential American dream'

— -- Priyanka Chopra is living the American dream.

The Indian actress, who won the Miss World competition in 2000 and is a breakout star on ABC's "Quantico," will soon appear in the big screen remake of the quintessentially American show "Baywatch."

"I loved 'Baywatch' so much growing up," Chopra says in Marie Claire's April issue. "It was the quintessential American dream. All those beautiful people in bathing suits, running slo mo on the beach in Malibu — amazing!"

She will play a villain in the movie, which also stars Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron.

Chopra, 34, who is featured on the magazine's April cover, said that she sort of fell into her current life.

The daughter of academics, she had planned to become an aeronautical engineer but ended up becoming Miss World instead. When Bollywood called, she put off college for acting and went on to star in more than 50 films. Then a trip to Hollywood to record an album led to her casting on "Quantico."

"Yeah, plans and me don't really work out," Chopra said. "I've learned it's better to just go with my instincts."

Not surprisingly, she is taking a similarly nonchalant approach to love.

"I'm not someone who looks for love. I don't believe in making it happen," she said. "My life has been shaped by so many serendipitous moments so far, I feel like, 'Why screw with a good thing?'"

Whether it's love or career, the star has learned to trust her gut.

"I like to find my own way, which is something my parents always encouraged in me," she said. "They were like, 'You got you.' I think my inherent sense of confidence comes from that. Also, my mom used to always tell me, 'You could make the biggest screw-up on the planet, but you can come tell me, and I'll help you fix it.' And my dad used to tell me, 'You kill someone, break a car, you come and tell me. I'll fix it for you.'"