Spotlight On: Jayma Mays

Landing a plum guest appearance in the Matt LeBlanc comedy series Joey was just the beginning of Jayma Mays’ remarkable career.  During a whirlwind of appearances on hot shows like Six Feet Under, How I Met Your Mother, House, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip and Entourage, Jayma also managed to sneak in a major role in the thriller Red Eye co-starring Cillian Murphy and Rachel McAdams.  Within just 2 years, Jayma was racking up roles faster than most actresses who arrive in Tinseltown!

Jayma Mays as Charlie the waitress / NBC

Then in a role that would forever put her on the television map and in the forefront of viewer’s attention, Jayma scored the pivotal role as Charlie, Hiro Nakamura’s doomed girlfriend on the cult sensation Heroes.  It should have been a 3-episode arc ending in the death of her character, but like many genre shows, death is not always the end.  Due to her sparkling performance as Charlie, the fans clamored for more and Jayma returned for a short arc during Heroes’ fourth season.  What should have been just a blip on Jayma’s red-hot career trajectory, turned into the role of a lifetime, at least according to the fans of Heroes across the globe.  To them, Jayma will forever be known as Charlie.

In a funny twist of fate, during that same time period, Jayma also played the girl friend of the character played by Masi Oka, who had plays Hiro in Heroes, in the feature film Get Smart’s Bruce and Lloyd: Out of Control.  There must be something about their onscreen chemistry that captures not only the fans’ attention, but Hollywood casting agents as well.

Fresh off her memorable appearance in Heroes, Jayma quickly landed another key guest arc on the hot ABC comedy series Ugly Betty, where she played yet another infamous character by the name of Charlie.  However, this time, her character was not as beloved and fans were quick to bristle at her character’s interference with the main love story between Betty Suarez and Henry Grubstick.  But whether the fans loved her or hated her based on the characters she portrayed, Jayma had done something nearly impossible – launched herself onto the television hot-list.  She was the face everyone wanted to see.

Jayma Mays as Emma on Glee / Fox

Thus, it was with pure delight that she made a quick appearance in the charming detective series Pushing Daisies.  This was perhaps due to Pushing Daisies creator Bryan Fuller who worked with Jayma on Heroes and knew that she would be a wonderful addition, albeit briefly, to the Pushing Daisies world.  With her vibrant red hair, bubbly personality and a face that belied her character’s devious heart, Jayma was right at home on the quirky show about the ultimate star-crossed lovers.

Finally, it was with much song and celebration that Jayma Mays next appeared on our television screens playing the lovable Emma Pillsbury on the Fox musical sensation Glee. While portraying an adorable germ-a-phobe, Jayma also manages to be the voice of reason in the midst of raging hormones, over-achieving ambitions and a cheerleading coach who is hell-bent on destroying the glee club.  The role appears to have been designed with Jayma in mind for she simply glows.  It is with pleasure that we share in Jayma’s success and watch her continue to steal the hearts of leading men and ours along with it.

Glee airs Tuesday nights on Fox.