Inside Maya Jama’s acting career bid after failed Skins test ‘killed dream’ and what The Gentlemen co-stars REALLY think

WHEN it was announced Maya Jama had bagged a role in Guy Ritchie’s hit Netflix show The Gentlemen more than a few eyebrows were raised. With zero acting experience, many industry insiders assumed the Love Island host waltzed into the high-profile role due to her massive following. Maya Jama is set to make her acting debut in Guy Ritchie’s The Gentlemen Credit: instagram.com/mayajama When her role in the Netflix show was announced, more than a few were surprised at the casting Credit: TNI Press Speaking exclusively to The Sun, a source revealed: “There were a lot of raised eyebrows when Maya landed the lucrative gig due to her massive celebrity. “Many actresses would have killed for the part, and have extensive acting experience to go with it. “Some snide industry folk assumed that she was cast just to create a buzz around the show, due to her huge Love Island following.” However, one of Maya’s The Gentlemen co-stars, Harry Goodwins – who portrays Jack Glass in the show – has exclusively spilled the tea about what the star was like on the £45million shoot. He said: “Maya was amazing. She’s hilarious. “I think it was her first time acting on set and she did a fantastic job. Maya has always dreamed of a career in Hollywood, and has been dubbed a ‘natural’ by co-stars Credit: Getty Maya stars alongside Theo James in The Gentlemen “She’s natural and I think she’ll go far. “We got on like a house on fire. “Everyone in the cast just gets on, which I think is the best thing about the project. We’re like a family, the cast and crew, which is awesome. “Every day on set is just a laugh. “Maya fitted in so well with everyone. It’s like going to work with your friends, you know? Not a bad day at the office!” Despite her presenting credentials, acting has always been a huge priority for Maya. Discussing how her acting aspirations were born when she was a child, Maya previosuly said: “I was that kid who would be like, ‘Let’s have a performance in the front room and get all our family members to pay for a ticket’. “I wasn’t a good singer and I wasn’t an amazing dancer; I just loved showing off to anyone, whatever I could do.” She even auditioned for gritty teen drama Skins, which launched the careers of Nicholas Hoult, Dev Patel and Kaya Scodelario, when she was growing up in Bristol. She recalled earlier this year: “I got to the last stage with me and one other girl, and I was convinced that was going to be my big break. “Then I didn’t get it, and I was like, ‘F*** acting. I’m never doing this again.’ And just completely gave up on the dream.” However, she clearly decided it was worth another shot given her role in The Gentlemen, and director Guy Ritchie has form for making risky and left-field casting decisions. In 1998, his genius decision to place controversial footballer Vinnie Jones in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrells kickstarted a prolific movie career and propelled him to Hollywood stardom. And Maya has long dreamed not only of acting, but of cracking Hollywood. In 2020, she had a cameo in Katherine Ryan‘s semi-autobiographical Netflix show The Duchess, playing the comedian’s love rival in one episode. She was then attached to a movie that included a shark attack, and was set to be filmed in the Caribbean. But it was eventually cancelled due to repeated Covid delays. Harry Goodwins – who portrays Jack Glass in The Gentlemen – has exclusively spilled the tea about what Maya was like Credit: Getty Maya plays Sandra in Netflix Series The Duchess Credit: Netflix And, despite concerns about Maya’s credentials, she insists she had to audition for the role like everyone else. She said: “[Acting] has always been something in the back of my mind, but I’ve just been so busy with presenting that I’ve never had the chance to pursue it. “I never want to do something and it be s**t, so I was like, if I’m going to do it, I want to train with someone and get as good as I can. “So I said to my manager, ‘OK, I’m ready to maybe try some acting now,’ and we got an agent, and he just started sending out loads of things. “They were like, ‘You got an audition for The Gentlemen!’ And I didn’t have to change my accent or anything like that, so I felt like, ‘OK, this is a safe entrance point.’ “This was my first one where I had to properly learn lines and be on set for a few days. But I was so, so excited because I loved the series.” Indeed, she proved such a hit with early reviews that she has signed up for a third run.