JAMEELA JAMIL has said she was told she was “too old, too ethnic and too fat” to launch a career in the U.S. 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 U.K. 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, too ethnic, and too fat to come over to Los Angeles.” 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 theater because it’s harder to track down,” Jamil explained. “Technically it’s not a lie because when I was 6 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.” (SD-Agencies) |