Jameela Jamil Answers 15 Questions From Celebrity Friends

Charithra Chandran: If you could pick one song to be the theme song of your life, what song would you pick?

Oh, that’s such a good question. If I’m being honest, I want to say Beyoncé, but it’s really just the Curb Your Enthusiasm TV show theme song. It’s the one that plays most in my head as I wish I was cooler, sexier, and smoother. But I think I might just be South Asian Larry David.

Lilly Singh: Jameela, my girl. Congrats on joining the Marvel Universe. I saw your interview about how women so often are demonized IRL. What did you learn from playing the villain character on the show?

First of all, Lilly, I’ve only really met you once. It was at the very beginning of my career in America and we had to audition for something together. You were one of the only women with whom I’ve ever auditioned who didn’t make me feel like they were trying to compete with me. You were kind and open, even though you were so much more experienced than I was. I will never forget that. Also, your Vogue India cover was stunning. To your question, what did I learn about being demonized? In the last few weeks, women get demonized no matter what we do. Sometimes we get demonized for just not loving someone back. It’s so easy for us to make a mistake according to society’s absurd list of all the things that we are supposed to do that men are never expected to do. Playing the bad guy didn’t really feel any different, I imagine, from playing a misunderstood good guy. Plus, what I learned from playing the villain character on the show is that villains have more fun. Maybe I’m going to misbehave even more than I already have.

L.S.: Perhaps you’ll agree with me when I say that representation in the media is getting better, but we still have a long way to go. What changes do you think need to be made to get us to a place of true inclusion?

First of all, we need to diversify the stories that are being told. I think thanks to people like Mindy [Kaling] and Priyanka [Chopra] and even me, I think that is happening. People are starting to see value in our stories. However, I would love to see more Indian sex symbols in worldwide movies. Our representation conversation now needs to go beyond just race or gender. We also need to think about disability, as it’s a conversation that no one is ever having. In Hollywood, we have completely erased billions of people because we are still sticking to a type of exclusivity that I think is really problematic. So that is something that I really hope to also be able to speak up for and advocate because I think it’s really important. As a kid who was very sick, and often on crutches or even in a wheelchair, it was something that I was longing to see. Having also been South Asian and not seeing myself represented, I remember how bad that made me feel about myself and how much it made me resent my culture as a kid, which is so sad. It’s important that when we talk about including people, we talk about including everyone.

Poorna Jagannathan: If recently, you have bumped into someone from your past, who either didn’t believe in you or bullied you, what did you say to them?

I haven’t had the chance, Poorna. But I’ve had so many conversations in my head alone in my room about what I would say and I’m sure it’s so much tougher and cooler than how I would actually be when I’m around these people. The closest I’ve come has been people trying to send me friend requests on Facebook, and I have blocked them and felt very proud of myself. I haven’t had the opportunity yet, but I constantly fantasize about it. I’ll let you know. I’ll get back to you.

P.J.: What is the side to you that only very close friends get to see, Jameela?

Really, just my bum. Like no one’s ever seen my butt. I’ve given everything else away and anyone who hadn’t seen my boobs is now going to see them in this shoot. So I really think it’s my bum.

P.J.: What has been the most unexpected interaction you have had with a troll? Because I know you get trolled.

At this point, I expect everything. I am just trying to think of the last time I was surprised… It’s so fascinating that people truly feel like they hate someone they’ve never met. They’ve made up this whole fantasy character around you even though they don’t know you at all. They don’t know who you’ve loved, what you like, what you don’t like, who you are when the camera’s off…. The way I look at it now is that even when random strangers hate me, I’m an entertainer and I am here to entertain at any cost. Whether you love to watch me or you love to hate watching me, I’m still entertaining you. You’re still not thinking about something else that’s boring and shit. You’re thinking about me. That’s kind of why I love the Marvel character so much, because you’re supposed to hate me. I’m supposed to annoy you. There’s something kind of brilliant about not being liked by everyone, because then you’re free to just be yourself. As a South Asian woman, you’re expected to please everyone, look after everyone, nurture and feed, do everything for everyone and never look after yourself. God forbid you should be selfish. “Selfish” is such a rude word. It’s a word that family members would use against us to tell us we’ve done something wrong. I think it’s really important for us to be more selfish as women. It would be so liberating and dangerous at once.