Maya Jama on ‘Love Island’s’ Global Success and Finally Pursuing Acting With ‘The Gentlemen’ Role: ‘It’s Always Been in the Back of My Mind’

Before she became a globally recognized presenter as the face of “ Love Island ” in the U.K., Maya Jama dreamed of becoming an actor. Hollie Molloy “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,'” the 31-year-old tells Variety on a cold December afternoon in London. We’re tucked away in the cozy corner of a chic Chelsea restaurant, but Jama immediately proves she’s no snob - she insisted on ordering from the kids’ menu and is nibbling on battered prawn bites and a cheese quesadilla. “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 adds. British audiences are used to seeing Jama in full-glam, but today she’s dressed down and for the chilly weather, sporting a black beanie and matching puffer with minimal makeup and her impossibly shiny hair tucked back. Jama’s just off the train from Manchester, where she’s now living part-time to be closer to her boyfriend, Manchester City football star Rúben Dias. She also discloses before our interview that she’s just gotten braces, which are hidden behind her teeth - hence the strange food order. “Sorry if I speak funny!” she warns, but her smooth, made-for-radio voice never falters. Popular on Variety Growing up in Bristol, England, Jama got an early chance to pursue acting when at age 15 she auditioned for “Skins,” the raunchy, revolutionary British teen series that launched the careers of Daniel Kaluuya and Dev Patel. Set in the Southwestern city, “Skins” held auditions at several schools in the area in an effort to achieve authentic casting. “I got to the last stage with me and one other girl and I was convinced that was going to be my big break,” Jama recalls. “And then I didn’t get it and I was like, ‘Fuck acting. I’m never doing this again.’ And just completely gave up on the dream.” It may have taken her more than a decade to get over that early rejection - during which Jama made a name for herself as one of the youngest BBC Radio One DJs ever and a sought-after presenter for shows like “Love Island” and “The Masked Singer” - but she’s finally trying her hand at acting again. Later this year, she’ll make her official debut in the second season of Guy Ritchie’s critically acclaimed “ The Gentlemen ,” which in a full-circle moment, also happens to star “Skins” breakout Kaya Scodelario. “[Kaya] messaged me before I came to set to be like, ‘I know it’s going to be a bit wild, but if you need anything, just let me know,'” Jama says proudly. “She was so lovely.” But before Jama dives into the acting world, she’s hosting the second installment of “Love Island” spinoff “All Stars” in South Africa, her seventh season as a presenter since joining the franchise in 2023. (The series...

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