On this episode of WrapWomen’s “UnWrapped” Podcast actress and activist Jameela Jamil takes hosts Emily Vogel and Andi Oritz behind the scenes of her latest project, “Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin.”
In the new Peacock series, “The Good Place” star transforms into German pop star Gisela, Bumper’s new rival, and Pieter Kramer’s (Flula Borg) toxic ex. After a scandal with Das Sound Machine – which Gisela technically caused, but got away scot-free from – she’s a solo artist on the rise, and willing to do whatever it takes to destroy her ex and his new protegé.
And if that includes distracting Pieter with sex, so be it. But, despite her ultra-confident character, Jamil said one of the hardest parts of becoming the German popstar was harnessing her sexuality.
“Being sexy is something that I find, like, extremely uncomfortable, because I’m very, sort of like, love child of Mr. Bean and Lurch, and then like, Bigfoot, you know?” Jamil joked on the podcast. “I’ve got big tits. So people presume I’m going to be good at seduction, but I’ve only kissed six people ever. And I’m 36. So that’s quite a low number I hear…”
Of course, when it came to openly flirting with Sarah Hyland’s character Heidi – in an effort to confuse, intimidate and get information from her – Jamil wasn’t afraid to push boundaries and have fun with the situation.
“A lot of the stuff, especially with Sarah, was was ad libbed, like how sexual I was being. She’s such a fun character partner,” Jamil said. “She’s one of my favorite people I’ve ever worked with, because our chemistry was just so intense. And we’re both very open to whatever the other one’s going to try.”
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Additional episode highlights…
- Jamil says, “As a South Asian woman, I’m used to being seen by the world as subservient and even where I’m from, the women are treated or expected to be subservient.”
- Jamil reveals, “I enjoy showing complicated women… in that they have a lot of sex and they drink a lot of alcohol… I like showing misogynist women, I like showing ego maniacal women, I like women who brag… I want to play the characters that I don’t see enough of in the media.”
- Jamil on breaking down stereotypes: “I’m not the quiet, you know, sweet best friend. It’s like, I’m here to fuck up your day.”
- Jamil opens up on why she likes getting to play a villain: “I’m obsessed with psychology, right? I want to understand why people make the decisions they make.”
About “UnWrapped”
“UnWrapped” is a monthly podcast produced by WrapWomen, dedicated to empowering the next generation of women in media and entertainment. Each episode “unwraps” topics from entertainment news and industry trends to career advice, Hollywood headlines and more.
Special guests include industry leaders, actors, producers and studio execs. The aim of the series is to connect those looking for knowledge and access to those with the knowledge and access, providing the WrapWomen community tools to succeed in their personal and professional lives.
New episodes of “UnWrapped” drop the last Friday of every month. You can listen on TheWrap.com, WrapWomen.com, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts.