KAYA SCODELARIO SAYS SHE TOLD MAYA JAMA TO BE ON HER TOES AHEAD OF ACTING DEBUT IN THE GENTLEMEN

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Kaya Scodelario has revealed she messaged co-star Maya Jama to tell her to 'be on her toes' ahead of her acting debut in The Gentlemen.

Maya, 32, is portraying Aisha, the wife of a criminal associate of the show's lead character, Eddie Horniman, played by Theo James.

Meanwhile, Kaya returns for season two of Guy Ritchie's crime drama as the impeccably styled Susie, the daughter of a mobster who has a weed empire on English country estates.

To ease Maya's nerves ahead of her first acting stint, Kaya, 34, slid into her DMs to share some words of wisdom.

'I just said, "Hey, babe, heads up! This is going to not be what you expect. Be ready to be on your toes and trust the process," she told Grazia. 

'I knew how intimidating it is stepping into a new part of your career and coming from a working class background. I just wanted her to know that I'm a girls' girl.'

Kaya, who was raised by her Brazilian mother immersed in the culture, wanted to look out for her fellow working-class co-star because she feels they are both minorities.

Maya also prides herself on growing up with very little money or no industry connections having moved to London from Bristol at age 16. 

'I absolutely still feel like I am a minority as a working-class actor,' Kaya added. 'I'll be at a work dinner party and maybe one or two people will sound like me, but certainly not everyone else.' 

Kaya pursued acting full-time just two years after her getting cast in Skins at the age of 14, leaving her home at 16 with just '£36.50 in her bank account'.

Maya said The Gentlemen felt like a 'safe entrance point' into acting.

Having harboured a dream to act, she auditioned for the series last year – and got the part less than two weeks later.

The TV star then worked with a drama coach to be ready for the role, telling Variety magazine: 'I never want to do something and be s*** at it.' 

It was confirmed that the third series has been greenlit just as the trailer for the second dropped on Monday, ahead of the September 3 release date. 

Star-studded comedy drama The Gentlemen became one of the platform's biggest hits of 2024 after the show reached a whopping 44million views in just four weeks. 

Last week, Kaya went public with director Eran Creevy – two years after her divorce from the father of her two children, Benjamin Walker.

The actress was seen locking lips with Eran, 50, who has directed two episodes of The Gentlemen.

Eran shared a sweet snap of the couple locking lips while attending a concert last  month, while Kaya posted a series of throwback snaps from filming series one, with one selfie showing her with co-stars and her now-boyfriend.  

Sources tell The Sun: 'Eran and Kaya are in the early stages of a relationship and have seen their romance blossom over the summer. There is speculation that they may make their red carpet debut together at The Gentlemen premiere [this] week.'

Kaya and Benjamin announced their split in February 2024, after meeting in April 2015 on the set of The King's Daughter and tying the knot in 2015. They welcomed a son in November 2016, and a daughter in December 2021. 

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2026-09-01T17:30:12Z