Get a closer look at some of Hollywood's perfect pairs.

Hollywood Power Couples

Get a closer look at some of Hollywood&#39;s perfect pairs.

See which big screen releases you can watch from the comfort of your couch.

Theatrical Releases Coming to Streaming

Get a closer look at these actors from their many TV and streaming series roles.

Streaming Stars, Then and Now

Laya Aiesha Lewis is a British actress and voiceover artist. Born in South London but raised in Bristol, Laya got her start in acting at 18 when she was cast as rebellious, provocative, and fun-loving party animal Olivia "Liv" Malone in the fifth and sixth series of E4's hit drama Skins (2007). She secured her career-defining role after undergoing a rigorous audition process that began with an open audition held at her sixth form, where she had also completed an A-level in drama.

Since 'Skins', Laya has continued working in the performing arts. She went on to star in several short films, including The Line (2014) and Swing for the Fences (2020), and has made a handful of small television appearances. Her second most notable role, however, was as the titular protagonist in the biographical short film Beverley (2015), for which she earned several awards, including Best Actress and the BBC Award for Best Emerging Talent at the 2016 BUFF Awards. She made her first music video appearance in 2012 as the lead for R&B and soul singer Emeli Sandé's chart-topping single, "My Kind of Love." The following year, she was accepted into the University of Greenwich, from which she graduated in 2016 with a First Class Honours B.A. in Media and Cultural Studies.

In addition to her achievements in film and TV, Laya has found success in commercial and voiceover work. She once voiced the idents for BBC's 'Radio 1 Breakfast' and has served as an announcer for the London Eye. In April 2023, she made her stage debut in the play 'Unseen Unheard: The untold breast cancer stories of black women in the UK'. She is also a youth worker and an advocate for sustainable fashion and living, partnering with organizations such as Greenpeace UK to protest against corporate greed.

She resides in her birthplace, London.

She is biracial, born to a second-generation Black Jamaican mother and a White British father.

In 2015, she publicly came out as queer when she participated in a BuzzFeed article that chronicled the coming out stories of various Black LGBTQ individuals.

Before being cast in the fifth series of &#39;Skins&#39;, she had gone to audition for the show&#39;s third series when she was 16. However, she backed out of auditioning because she felt that she wasn&#39;t ready.

She used to model for independent Bristol-based clothing brands and retailers. One store in particular was Shop Dutty (which was rebranded to That Thing in 2015), where she had also worked an after-school job before landing her debut role in &#39;Skins&#39;.

She is passionate about traveling. In January 2018, she embarked on a 2-year backpacking trip around the world with her then-partner.

Trivia

Laya Lewis

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