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Jameela Jamil crowned Emily Bader the “next big thing.”
At the Los Angeles premiere of People We Meet on Vacation, Netflix’s latest romantic comedy, Jamil, 39, gushed over her costar. Speaking exclusively to PEOPLE, she sang the praises of Bader, 29, and compared her to one of Hollywood’s biggest stars.
“Emily is our next big thing,” Jamil tells PEOPLE. “I think she’s what Jennifer Aniston was to my generation.” The actress adds, “I’m really rooting for her and I think she’s going to go on to do great things, and I’m excited for the whole world to see her now.”
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Jamil plays Swapna, the editor of the fictional R+R magazine and the boss of Poppy (Bader), in the film adaptation of Emily Henry’s beloved 2021 novel. In the film, Swapna acts as Poppy’s mentor, challenging her to reach her full potential amid a writing rut.
“I love the character I got to play,” Jamil says. “I think we all need a Swapna in our lives.”
When asked what it was like to be a part of a widely loved romantic comedy, Jamil says, “This film was some of the most fun I’ve ever had at my job.”
“I love everyone involved. I love the story,” she continues. “I think it’s what we need in the world right now, given how bleak everything is. Emily and Tom [Blyth] are the perfect lovers on-screen. I’m obsessed with them.”
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The Good Place actress also notes that she feels as though romantic comedies have been lacking for some time now and that People We Meet on Vacation is the “comeback of the good rom-com.”
“I feel as though a lot of rom-coms sometimes get dumbed down and that’s not what we grew up with,” Jamil explains. “We grew up with Diane Keaton and with Rob Reiner.”
She adds, “Brett Haley [the film’s director] put as much [of] Rob Reiner’s spirit into this as possible. He took it really seriously… He’s just full of love… And I think it really resonated through the film.”
People We Meet on Vacation premieres on Netflix on Jan. 9.
