Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Jameela Jamil on equal pay, #MeToo and body image
Jameela Jamil has said she was told she was "too old, too ethnic and too fat" to launch a career in the US.
The former BBC Radio 1 presenter landed a part in sitcom The Good Place in her first audition, despite being "actively discouraged" from moving to Hollywood by some in the UK.
The 32-year-old said she moved to Los Angeles without a job or even a plan.
"I was literally starting again and I was actively discouraged by everyone in England," she told BBC Radio 5 live's Anna Foster.
"Everyone said I was being mad, throwing away an eight-year career, and that I was too old - I was only 29 - too ethnic, and too fat to come over to Los Angeles."
Image copyright Ron Batzdorff/NBC Image caption Jameela stars alongside Cheers star Ted Danson in the sitcom
She admitted she exaggerated her acting experience to win a role in The Good Place alongside Ted Danson and Kristen Bell.
"I lied in my audition. I said I'd mostly done theatre because it's harder to track down," Jamil explained.
"Technically it's not a lie because when I was six I played Oliver's mother in my school play. I was creative with the truth."
In the show, Jameela plays Tahani Al-Jamil, a wealthy British philanthropist whose name translates as "Congratulations Beautiful".
It's been praised by critics and has been renewed for a third season.
"I didn't even have time to get an acting coach, so I basically had to learn how to act from Ted Danson.
"I'm a fast learner and I have an amazing group of people around me. I'm not De Niro, but I'm getting there."
Image copyright Colleen Hayes/NBC Image caption L-R: Jameela Jamil, William Jackson Harper, Kristen Bell and Manny Jacinto in The good Place
Jameela's time in Hollywood has coincided with the #MeToo movement and the debate about equal pay.
"I feel very comfortable asking my co-stars what they earn," she said.
"There is a pay gap between Ted Danson and Kristen Bell - but he was in Cheers, he is a national treasure. It's not just about gender, that's about what you bring to the table.
"But when there's a man and woman of the same age, with the same level of experience in any industry - it blows my mind we are still treated as second-rate citizens and I think it is changing, slowly but surely."
She said #MeToo had been "amazing" and celebrates the fact that "the men are afraid of the women for the first time ever".
Image copyright Justin Lubin/NBC Image caption Jameela said her character Tahani may look sweet, but she's "passive aggressive" and a "nightmare"
"Producers would ask for our second meeting to be at dinner, at night in a restaurant, which felt significantly more like a date - which I would always decline - that doesn't happen anymore."
Jameela launched the I Weigh campaign on Instagram to encourage people to post images weighing their achievements rather than their bodies.
She described LA as "the devil's lair" when it comes to body image obsession, and now insists that magazines do not tamper with pictures of her.
Image copyright Instagram Image caption A typical post on Jameela's 'I Weigh' Instagram feed
"When I get Photoshopped by magazines - people change the shape of my nose to make my nose look less ethnic. They don't tell me and it's really offensive.
"I don't feel flattered when a magazine creates this 'flawless' version of me - I feel really offended because that's no longer my face. I've got a tiny Caucasian nose, my skin has been lightened, my pores have been removed, my stretch marks have been removed.
"[These are] things that I don't have a problem with - then I can't help but think, 'Wow, what I brought wasn't good enough'. Being Photoshopped is so offensive."
Jameela recently hit out at Kim Kardashian West for posting an advert promoting a dieting lollipop, calling her "irresponsible" and a "victim of a societal problem"
Kim K shared a photo of herself eating the product - which it's claimed suppresses your appetite - on Instagram.
Speaking to 5 live, Jameela said: "Kim Kardashian West may not have asked to be a role model but as soon as you accept money for being in a public position, you are a role model.
Image copyright Getty Images
"She's not a bad person, I don't think any of them are bad people - they are probably much more so victims of this societal problem than anyone realises. We've listened to 10 years of their insecurities publicly.
"Extreme diets, extreme cosmetic surgery, changes to their faces and bodies... They have tried everything to achieve this archetype of perfection and they themselves are victims. It makes me sad that they would ingest this poison and then push it back out."
Anna Foster's full interview with Jameela Jamil is broadcast on BBC Radio 5 live at 10:00 BST on Monday 21 May.
Jameela Jamil has spoken about how people discouraged her from heading to the US to launch a career.
The former presenter turner actress – Jamil plays a leading part in the universally well-received sitcom The Good Place – was told she was “too old, too ethnic and too fat” to land a job in Los Angeles.
“I was literally starting again and I was actively discouraged by everyone in England,” she told BBC Radio 5.
“Everyone said I was being mad, throwing away an eight-year career, and that I was too old – I was only 29 – too ethnic, and too fat to come over to Los Angeles.”
Jamil also revealed she “lied” to get the part of Tahani on The Good Place, the NBC show co-starring Kristen Bell, Ted Danson, and William Jackson Parker.
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“I lied in my audition. I said I’d mostly done theatre because it’s harder to track down,” Jamil said.
“Technically it’s not a lie because when I was six I played Oliver’s mother in my school play. I was creative with the truth.”
Jamil has been praised for her body positive outlook online, including launching an Instagram account named “I Weigh” encouraging women to see themselves as much more than just a number.
Queen Jameela says she was called ‘too old, fat, and ethnic’ for TV (Picture: Getty Images)
Jameela Jamil has claimed that she was told she was ‘too old, too ethnic and too fat’ for a career in TV.
The 32-year-old made the brave leap to move to Tinseltown at the age of 29 but she has now admitted that she was ‘actively discouraged by everyone in England’, with many suggesting she was past her prime.
‘Everyone said I was being mad, throwing away an eight-year career, and that I was too old – I was only 29 – too ethnic, and too fat to come over to Los Angeles,’ she said.
Jameela was 29 when she was told it was late to start over (Picture: Rex)
‘I was literally starting again and I was actively discouraged by everyone in England,” she told BBC Radio 5 live’s Anna Foster, ‘I didn’t even have time to get an acting coach, so I basically had to learn how to act from Ted Danson.
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‘I’m a fast learner and I have an amazing group of people around me. I’m not De Niro, but I’m getting there.’
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Jameela landed a part in Netflix sitcom The Good Place after her first audition.
The show is now in its third season and it sees Kristen Bell as a woman who, in a case of mistaken identity, wakes up in the afterlife called The Good Place, a Heaven-like utopia in reward for her righteous life; Jameela plays her neighbour Tahani Al-Jamil, a wealthy British philanthropist whose name translates as ‘Congratulations Beautiful’.
The British actress also admitted that she feels ‘very comfortable’ asking about what her co-stars are paid -and revealed that there is a pay gap between Ted and Kristen but that there should because ‘he was in Cheers, he is a national treasure’.
💛💛💛💛💛@kristenanniebell A post shared by Jameela Jamil (@jameelajamilofficial) on May 18, 2018 at 7:54am PDT
‘It’s not just about gender, that’s about what you bring to the table,’ she added.
‘But when there’s a man and woman of the same age, with the same level of experience in any industry – it blows my mind we are still treated as second-rate citizens and I think it is changing, slowly but surely.’
MORE: ‘You toxic influence’: Jameela Jamil tells Kim Kardashian to ‘f*** off’ after she promotes appetite suppressant lollipop
MORE: Jameela Jamil hits out at body-shamers with amazing self-love selfie
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Jameela Jamil on equal pay, #MeToo and body image
Jameela Jamil has said she was told she was "too old, too ethnic and too fat" to launch a career in the US.
The former BBC Radio 1 presenter landed a part in sitcom The Good Place in her first audition, despite being "actively discouraged" from moving to Hollywood by some in the UK.
The 32-year-old said she moved to Los Angeles without a job or even a plan.
"I was literally starting again and I was actively discouraged by everyone in England," she told BBC Radio 5 live's Anna Foster.
"Everyone said I was being mad, throwing away an eight-year career, and that I was too old - I was only 29 - too ethnic, and too fat to come over to Los Angeles."
Image copyright Ron Batzdorff/NBC Image caption Jameela stars alongside Cheers star Ted Danson in the sitcom
She admitted she exaggerated her acting experience to win a role in The Good Place alongside Ted Danson and Kristen Bell.
"I lied in my audition. I said I'd mostly done theatre because it's harder to track down," Jamil explained.
"Technically it's not a lie because when I was six I played Oliver's mother in my school play. I was creative with the truth."
In the show, Jameela plays Tahani Al-Jamil, a wealthy British philanthropist whose name translates as "Congratulations Beautiful".
It's been praised by critics and has been renewed for a third season.
"I didn't even have time to get an acting coach, so I basically had to learn how to act from Ted Danson.
"I'm a fast learner and I have an amazing group of people around me. I'm not De Niro, but I'm getting there."
Image copyright Colleen Hayes/NBC Image caption L-R: Jameela Jamil, William Jackson Harper, Kristen Bell and Manny Jacinto in The good Place
Jameela's time in Hollywood has coincided with the #MeToo movement and the debate about equal pay.
"I feel very comfortable asking my co-stars what they earn," she said.
"There is a pay gap between Ted Danson and Kristen Bell - but he was in Cheers, he is a national treasure. It's not just about gender, that's about what you bring to the table.
"But when there's a man and woman of the same age, with the same level of experience in any industry - it blows my mind we are still treated as second-rate citizens and I think it is changing, slowly but surely."
She said #MeToo had been "amazing" and celebrates the fact that "the men are afraid of the women for the first time ever".
Image copyright Justin Lubin/NBC Image caption Jameela said her character Tahani may look sweet, but she's "passive aggressive" and a "nightmare"
"Producers would ask for our second meeting to be at dinner, at night in a restaurant, which felt significantly more like a date - which I would always decline - that doesn't happen anymore."
Jameela launched the I Weigh campaign on Instagram to encourage people to post images weighing their achievements rather than their bodies.
She described LA as "the devil's lair" when it comes to body image obsession, and now insists that magazines do not tamper with pictures of her.
Image copyright Instagram Image caption A typical post on Jameela's 'I Weigh' Instagram feed
"When I get Photoshopped by magazines - people change the shape of my nose to make my nose look less ethnic. They don't tell me and it's really offensive.
"I don't feel flattered when a magazine creates this 'flawless' version of me - I feel really offended because that's no longer my face. I've got a tiny Caucasian nose, my skin has been lightened, my pores have been removed, my stretch marks have been removed.
"[These are] things that I don't have a problem with - then I can't help but think, 'Wow, what I brought wasn't good enough'. Being Photoshopped is so offensive."
Jameela recently hit out at Kim Kardashian West for posting an advert promoting a dieting lollipop, calling her "irresponsible" and a "victim of a societal problem"
Kim K shared a photo of herself eating the product - which it's claimed suppresses your appetite - on Instagram.
Speaking to 5 live, Jameela said: "Kim Kardashian West may not have asked to be a role model but as soon as you accept money for being in a public position, you are a role model.
Image copyright Getty Images
"She's not a bad person, I don't think any of them are bad people - they are probably much more so victims of this societal problem than anyone realises. We've listened to 10 years of their insecurities publicly.
"Extreme diets, extreme cosmetic surgery, changes to their faces and bodies... They have tried everything to achieve this archetype of perfection and they themselves are victims. It makes me sad that they would ingest this poison and then push it back out."
Anna Foster's full interview with Jameela Jamil is broadcast on BBC Radio 5 live at 10:00 BST on Monday 21 May.
