On the podcast, Katherine discusses aging, beauty, and how these standards affect the careers and lives of her guests. Every gust takes a biological age test, which reveals their bodies’ “actual” age instead of their chronological one.
In the interview, the Good Place actor explained to Katherine why she returned to the UK from the US, stating that she missed British culture and felt that actors in the US aren’t allowed to age naturally.
“One of the reasons I moved back from America was partially because no one’s aging there, and it’s freaking me out,” she said. “The way everyone looks, and my opinion is their faces don’t move, and acting there is getting rubbish. And I know that I’m not exactly Laurence Olivier… but everyone looks like they’re shitting when they’re trying to cry.”
She continued, “I felt a bit depressed by how much the beauty standard is more important than ability, and it was starting to warp the way I was seeing myself. I was like, ‘Is there something wrong with my face?'” This revelation prompted Jameela to tell herself, “‘Whoa, if that’s managed to penetrate my brain, I have to get out of here.'”
She continued, “I felt a bit depressed by how much the beauty standard is more important than ability, and it was starting to warp the way I was seeing myself. I was like, ‘Is there something wrong with my face?'” This revelation prompted Jameela to tell herself, “‘Whoa, if that’s managed to penetrate my brain, I have to get out of here.'”
The Wrong Turns host explained that she still lives and works in the US, but her reason for returning to England was that “actors look like actors.” She noted that, because there are many period pieces filmed in the UK, it doesn’t make sense for actors to undergo extensive cosmetic work on their faces.
Well, when a clip of Jameela’s comments on What’s My Age Again? went viral, the internet had a lot to say about it.
“She’s right,” one person wrote. “One of my biggest pet peeves in biopics is when they choose much more conventionally beautiful actors and actresses with less distinct faces for the role.”
“She’s completely right,” another person agreed. “I watch a lot of UK and Euro-based shows, and one of the most striking differences is how much actors over there look like regular people. Someone playing a middle-aged depressed detective is actually middle aged, with 20 extra pounds, visible lines on their face, and no veneers!”
This person said, “I was watching a Keira Knightley movie today and she was doing a scene with this other actress and I thought wow you can definitely tell which one is British because they gesticulate and express emotions through their faces.”
“She’s right. People love to shit on Jameela but she often makes valid points. I agree about British tv and film, I think generally speaking, actors tend to look like people, real human beings which is a very good thing,” someone else wrote.
And finally, someone said, “Hollywood actors and TV people don’t even look human these days, I find it distracting and it almost makes me viscerally angry when I see a picture of one of them. And I think most Americans don’t even realise it. They think it’s normal for the weather woman or a middle aged detective to look like Barbie.”
What do you think of Jameela’s comments about UK versus US actors and appearances?