‘Quantico’ Actress Anna Khaja Talks Sita’s Secrets And Why She Admires Priyanka Chopra

The plot twists on “Quantico” don’t just involve the FBI agents. Actress Anna Khaja revealed that her character, Sita, Alex’s (Priyanka Chopra) mother, is hiding plenty of her own secrets. The new ABC drama follows Alex; she's a new FBI agent who has been charged with being a terrorist in the present day, while flashbacks to her training give clues about what led to the accusation. “Quantico” is quickly becoming must-see TV, with its fast-paced story and unexpected turns. Khaja revealed to International Business Times that her character will definitely be involved in one of those surprising twists in Sunday’s episode.

“Alex is on the run, and the FBI is gonna have to use a bunch of different tactics to try and find her and to get her to reveal where she is,” Khaja explained. “Her mother becomes a key player in those tactics, and you will definitely learn more about Sita and her past, and possibly her past involvement with other characters on the show in episode 3.”

Khaja couldn’t spoil all of Sita’s secrets, but that’s because she doesn’t know everything. The reveals in episode 3 are only the beginning of what Sita is hiding. “When I was shooting, the director, everybody would keep saying ‘You know, there’s a lot of secrets, a lot of mysteries surrounding your character,’ and honestly, I’d like to tell you more, but I’m not even sure what it is,” the actress teased.

Khaja, who has been acting on television for more than a decade, was thrilled to work with Bollywood star Priyanka Chopra, who she called an “inspiration.” Khaja said she respects her TV daughter's career choices. “I’m really excited to be working with her. I also really admire the fact that she’s filming this show that is really, really going for normalized diversity.” Khaja explained that although Chopra is Indian, it’s not a huge part of her character's story line. “That’s just icing. It’s not integral to the plot,” she added.

Much like ABC’s other hits, such as “Grey’s Anatomy” and “How to Get Away With Murder,” diversity is just as important as female characters. The half-Irish, half-Pakistani actress, who is also a playwright, said that the women on “Quantico” made the job even more attractive. “I read the pilot and Josh Safran has written the most dynamic, interesting female characters that are fun and smart,” Khaja said. “In fact, every single female character is just really interesting and not necessarily what you usually see on TV.”

With diversity, strong female characters and great writing, Khaja is hoping audiences keep tuning in. “I know that it’s the kind of show I would watch regardless of my affiliation with it,” she stated. “It’s got a lot of humor and heart while also being fast paced. And you know, just when you think you’ve got it figured out, the writers turn it on its head.” With more 11 million viewers tuning in, it seems as though audiences share her opinion.

“Quantico” Season 1 airs Sundays on ABC at 10 p.m. EDT.