--- --- Apr 19, 2018 # Deepika Padukone by Vin Diesel  CANNES, FRANCE - MAY 18: (EDITORS NOTE: Image has been digitally manipulated) Deepika Padukone during the 70th annual Cannes Film Festival at on May 18, 2017 in Cannes, France. (Photo by Mike Marsland/Mike Marsland/WireImage) CANNES, FRANCE - MAY 18: (EDITORS NOTE: Image has been digitally manipulated) Deepika Padukone during the 70th annual Cannes Film Festival at on May 18, 2017 in Cannes, France. (Photo by Mike Marsland/Mike Marsland/WireImage)Mike Marsland—WireImage/Getty Images When Deepika Padukone came in to read for one of the _Fast and the Furious_ films, I knew instantly I was in the presence of someone very special. As soon as she entered the room, there was a synchronicity, a synergy, a chemistry—it promised great things to come. Her schedule didn’t work for that movie, but I never gave up. She was the first role we cast in _xXx: Return of Xander Cage_. She said, “I want to do this movie, but if I do, you have to come to India.” Thank God I made that deal. Making that movie, Deepika took committed to a whole other level. That’s who she is as a performer. She wants the whole movie to shine, which is a rare thing. Anyone could talk about how beautiful she is, and anyone could tell you about her unmatched comedic timing. But she isn’t just a star. She’s an actor’s actor, dedicated to the craft. So often in the entertainment industry we deal in stereotypes, and people get stuck in certain markets. Deepika is the best Earth has to offer. She’s not just here to represent India; she’s here to represent the world. _Diesel stars in the_ xXx _and_ Fast and the Furious _franchises_ See TIME's \[p-link http://time.com/time100 "full list"\] of the 100 Most Influential People of 2018 Deepika Padukone Is on the 2018 TIME 100 List ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collections/most-influential-people-2018/5217557/deepika-padukone/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/most-influential-people-2018/5217557/deepika-padukone/"},"headline":"Deepika Padukone","datePublished":"2018-04-19T11:14:37.000Z","dateModified":"2026-07-21T07:22:23.119Z","description":"xXx: Return of Xander Cage star Deepika Padukone is one of the most influential people of 2018, The Fast and the Furious star Vin Diesel writes.","url":"https://time.com/collections/most-influential-people-2018/5217557/deepika-padukone/","keywords":["TIME 100","2018 Time 100"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt12e12fd9afa50011/69892d467cdbac5fafd5c8d6/time-100-deepika-padukone.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"creator":"TIME Staff","articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt12e12fd9afa50011/69892d467cdbac5fafd5c8d6/time-100-deepika-padukone.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collections/most-influential-people-2018/5217557/deepika-padukone/","name":"Deepika Padukone"}}]}] ```