Calgary Jameela Jamil Was Told She Was Too 'Old And Fat And Ethnic' To Chase Dreams In U.S. | HuffPost Entertainment - Action.News ABC Action News WestNet-HD Weather Traffic

Jameela Jamil doesnt take haters to heart.

The Good Place actress, an outspoken advocate for body positivity and fair treatment of women in Hollywood, said on Twitter Sunday that when she wanted to move to the U.S. at age 29, not everyone was thrilled with her plans. But she went anyway, and did ok.

Got told I was too old and fat and ethnic to give up my career in the UK and move to America at 29, Jamil wrote. Trying is winning. Everything else on top of that is cake.

Got told I was too old and fat and ethnic to give up my career in the UK and move to America at 29. Was told I would just disappear. Went anyway, and did ok! Trying is winning. Everything else on top of that is cake. https://t.co/Fmul6u5kek

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Got told I was too old and fat and ethnic to give up my career in the UK and move to America at 29. Was told I would just disappear. Went anyway, and did ok! Trying is winning. Everything else on top of that is cake. https://t.co/Fmul6u5kek
Jameela Jamil (@jameelajamil) April 21, 2019

Prior to starring on NBCs The Good Place, Jamil was best known as a UK Channel 4 host and later the host of BBC Radio 1s chart show. The actress has spoken before about how she was actively discouraged from moving to the U.S., and how people warned her against throwing away an eight-year career.

Jamil didnt have much acting experience at the time, but she decided to take the leap, and auditioned for The Good Place with the help of some... lets say, inventive storytelling.

I lied in my audition. I said Id mostly done theater because its harder to track down, she told BBC Radio 5 Live last year. Technically its not a lie because when I was six I played Olivers mother in my school play. I was creative with the truth.

Since then, Jamil has starred in all three seasons of The Good Place and become a fierce body positivity advocate, launching the I Weigh campaign, a social media movement where she encourages women to describe their qualities and accomplishments rather than their appearances.

I dont want to worry about stretch marks or cellulite or time or gravity showing on my face and my body, she said at the #BlogHer Health 2019 conference in February, explaining why shes so aggressive in breaking down the toxic culture that shames women for their bodies. These things are deliberately there to go full tin hat on you they are here to distract us, to give us something else to think about so that were not thinking about growing our businesses and our families and our lives and our hearts and our minds.

Its so aggressive how pervasive it is and how its everywhere, she added. It takes someone and something aggressive to tear that down.

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