‘The Good Place’: The Change Jameela Jamil Insisted On Making After Season 1
Actor and host Jameela Jamil is best known for her role in the hit series The Good Place. Learn how she was able to make one change after the show’s first season.
Jameela Jamil is famous for ‘The Good Place’
Jamil was a host for radio and TV in the U.K. before landing her life-changing role. In fact, her audition for The Good Place was her very first in Hollywood. She portrayed the character of Tahani Al-Jamil in all four seasons of the popular NBC sitcom.
Throughout the series, as she began to gain notoriety, Jamil made it clear that she wanted to use her platform as a celebrity for good. She founded the Instagram account I Weigh, which has evolved into a community for “radical inclusivity.” Jamil has also spoken out on the subject of diet culture.
Her character, Tahani, cares a lot about her looks
On The Good Place, Tahani is introduced as a high-society British woman who is exceptionally self-involved. The wealthy character frequently name-drops celebrities and never looks anything less than perfect. However, as the series progresses, she becomes a better person, and, simultaneously, relaxes a bit in terms of her what she wears and how she looks.
During the series’ run, Jamil made many public appearances. Both her co-stars and talk-show hosts she met would say she was like Tahani in that she always looked impeccable and dressed to the nines. However, according to a June 2020 roundtable interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Jamil doesn’t see it that way.
Jamil took over this job after Season 1
Jamil says one thing that bothered her when she began on the show was the time spent on her hair and makeup. “After season one of The Good Place, I objected. I took the producers aside, and I was like, ‘How ugly do you think I am? An hour and 45 minutes? What is this, Avatar?’ So I was like, I’m doing my own makeup.”
She continued, saying, “I was like, ‘I want the same amount of time as the boys. This is a comedy. I need to be funny, and I can’t be funny if I’m tired. I’d rather be funny than look perfect or utterly glamorous and glossy.” So, I got the same hair and makeup time as the boys — 25 minutes in and out — and I got sleep and it infinitely improved my performance.”
Season 2 also marked this change
Because Tahani was her first role, Jamil says she struggled with imposter syndrome while filming The Good Place season 1. She even said that she would “avoid eye contact with [co-star Kristen Bell] for the first seven episodes,” adding, “I used to try to look at someone else while delivering all my lines to her because I felt guilty for being there.”
Jamil says it was “probably sometime through season two” when she able to work through feeling “unworthy” and accept that she belonged on set. “I think over the course of spending 16 hours a day with Ted Danson and all these great actors, just studying them day and night, by season two I had started to find my confidence.”
What is Jamil working on now?
Jamil is doing her makeup for a new gig these days. After much controversy earlier this year, Jamil’s role as a judge on the HBO Max reality competition series Legendary was solidified. The first season is currently in progress, with six episodes having aired as of June 19, 2020.
Additionally, Jamil has gotten into voice acting. She has voice characters on series such as DuckTales, Crossing Swords, and Mira, Royal Detective. And she continues to use her hosting background with her TBS comedy game show The Misery Index.
