Jamie Lever, who you probably know as Johnny Lever’s daughter and a familiar face from the comedy scene, opened up about a seriously disturbing experience she had in her early days trying to break into the industry.
She was still new, didn’t have a manager, and her contact info was floating around with casting agents. One day, out of nowhere, she gets a call from some guy claiming he’s casting for a “big international project.” Classic line, right?
Jamie Lever recalls a horrific incident
He tells her the audition will happen over a video call with the so-called director. No script, he says—they want to see her improv skills. When Jamie hops onto the call, the “director” has his camera off. He gives her some story about being in transit, so he can’t turn the video on.
Then comes the real kicker. The guy tells her the role isn’t comedy but something “bold,” and lays out this creepy scenario: She’s supposed to imagine seducing a 50-year-old man, and there’s an intimate scene.
At this point, Jamie asks for a script—obviously not comfortable with where this is going. Instead, he tells her there’s no script, and she should feel free to improvise, even suggesting she could strip or do whatever feels right.
Jamie Lever Not OKAY With Stripping
Jamie immediately shuts it down, telling him she’s not okay with this and wasn’t warned about that kind of audition. She straight-up says she’s uncomfortable talking to him at all, then ends the call.
Later, she realised the whole thing was probably a scam—one of those setups where they try to record you and use it for blackmail, especially since she’s got a famous last name. She said the whole thing left her shaken, and even remembering it is terrifying.
That’s the industry, folks. It’s not all glitz and glamour—sometimes it’s just plain ugly.
For the record, Jamie’s gone on to make a real name for herself in stand-up and movies like Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon, Housefull 4, Bhoot Police, Yaatris, and Crakk. But yeah, it wasn’t an easy road.
