MONTREAL – Imagine one of the biggest movie stars in the world suddenly coming to television. Now imagine that few in North America have even heard of her.

Get set to meet Priyanka Chopra, star of the new FBI thriller “Quantico,” which debuts Sunday at 10 p.m. ET on ABC and CTV.

Chopra is a Bollywood superstar in her native India. She has 11 million Twitter followers.

Her new co-stars have seen the fan reaction up close.

“Everywhere we shoot, people come out and scream her name,” says Josh Hopkins (“Cougar Town”), who plays a FBI instructor.

It was especially true when the show travelled to New York to shoot exterior scenes.

“My dream would be that this show is so successful, we all take a trip to India, ’cause I’d like to see what it’s like to walk around with Beyonce,” Hopkins adds.

“She comes in, she glows. She has that thing. You can’t fake it.”

That was executive producer Joshua Safran’s initial reaction. The former “Smash” and “Gossip Girl” showrunner says he met Chopra for the first time during the audition process.

“When she walked in it was instantly clear that she was a star,” he says, adding he knew nothing of her Bollywood success. “She was just another name on that day’s call sheet.”

ABC, however, knew all about Chopra. The actress had run into a network VP of casting at a party and was invited to read three different pilot scripts. With the success last season of shows such as “Black-ish, “Fresh off the Boat” and “How to Get Away with Murder,” ABC is more interested than ever in diversity in casting.

The series is based on an actual FBI academy in Quantico, Virginia. It’s being shot in Montreal because “it’s a big show with a lot of moving pieces,” says Safran, agreeing budgets just go farther in Canada. Toronto and Vancouver were discussed as production hubs, but executive producer Mark Gordon (“Grey’s Anatomy”) recommended Montreal based on past movie-making experiences. The Quebec city also offered a better physical mix of Virginia and New York-like locales. Montreal’s Olympic Village was another plus and figures prominently in the series.

Chopra loved the pilot script and was drawn to her character, FBI trainee Alex Parrish.

“She’s so badass,” says Chopra, “and doesn’t have to lose her femininity … she’s all girl.”

Chopra, a former Miss India and Miss World, parlayed her pageant wins into movie offers and, 15 years later, Chopra has enjoyed a robust film career.

Chopra is well acquainted with the “huge Indian demographic in Canada.” She’s shot several movies in our nation and spent one January working in Calgary.

“There was 10 feet of snow,” says Chopra, bracing herself for a Montreal winter. “I have my mittens out already,” she says, adding, “I’m going to walk around with a portable heater.”

“Quantico” starts with a scene showing Chopra flirting with a young man on an airplane. Next we see the two in a steamy tryst in a car. (He turns out to be a fellow trainee, played by Jake McLaughlin).

The 33-year-old actress quickly dismisses the assertion that the scene might be too steamy for her Indian fan base. “We come from the land of the Kama Sutra — just saying.”

Chopra says she was initially a little wary of making a seven-month commitment to series television but plans to continue her movie career in India. She doesn’t see this as a career crossover move.

“I feel like the world has become a really small place today,” she says. “Art transcends borders. Today, the girl next door looks different. Anyone can play any character.”

Her co-star Aunjanue Ellis — a stand out last season in “Book of Negroes” — agrees. Ellis plays the no-nonsense assistant director of the FBI academy. She feels Chopra can become “America’s sweetheart,” and she’s excited about that.

“She’s this huge international star. She can’t walk down any street in New York without people screaming her name. I hope America will embrace her the way the rest of the world has.”

— Bill Brioux is a freelance TV columnist based in Brampton, Ont.