Maya Jama leaves The Gentleman season 2 fans divided after stunning acting debut

Season 2 of Guy Ritchie's The Gentlemen has been one of Netflix's most anticipated recent drops, with rumours swirling for weeks that stars as varied as Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle and Love Island host Maya Jama would be making an appearance.

With Meghan's rumoured role debunked by series star Vinnie Jones on the red carpet of the London premiere on Wednesday and Maya's part confirmed well ahead of release, the hit crime caper finally landed on the platform on Thursday, meaning we can now judge Jama's impact for ourselves on a show that's already caused an online stir.

Appearing just ten minutes into the first episode, Jama's character sets pulses racing immediately.

The new season picks up where season one left off, with Eddie (Theo James) and his partner Susie Glass (Kaya Scodelario) running a cannabis operation at scale while Susie's father Bobby (Ray Winstone) stews behind bars on a tax evasion conviction.

Theo James plays Eddie in the hit crime show

Eddie's mission is to convince Lord Hawthorne (Hugh Bonneville) to torpedo the cannabis legalisation bill that threatens to sink their expanding empire.

Jama plays a coquettish, flat-capped cockney fixer - a "clever girl" friend of Susie's who turns up at Eddie's sprawling estate after a five-year stint in the Middle East. Her character quickly seals a deal between Eddie and a "sweetheart" Middle Eastern prince, before she stuns at a later, ostentatious dinner hosted by Eddie.

However captivating Maya’s performance was, fans were left divided over how much she added to the hit crime show.

Guy Ritchie's second season of The Gentlemen has been eagerly anticipated by fans

Rhys W posted on X, “Seeing Maya Jama in The Gentleman Season 2 is so jarring”

However, Born Stoner disagreed on X, “So happy when i saw Maya Jama on The Gentlemen season 2”

X user kiran weighed in with a critique of her acting skills, “Since when could Maya Jama act - 2 episodes into The Gentlemen and I’m actually surprised, she’s not terrible”.

Jama told Variety in January this year how the opportunity to work with Ritchie had left her feeling she was in the presence of greatness.

“He’s really kind and nice”, she said. She went on the explain how working with the British director didn’t feel “as intimidating as you’d think, being who he is.”

She continued: “He’s very personable and he would be like, ‘Yeah, you’re doing well,’ and reassure me, which was really nice."

Jama described how the director was "kind of a genius to watch, because everyone’s practicing their lines and then he says something that’s way better than the original.”

Season 2 of The Gentleman is available now on Netflix.