Pictures Of Lily

Jessica Marais might not be a household name, but the Aussie actress could soon become more famous as she expands her role on the period drama Magic City. Born in South Africa, Marais spent her childhood bouncing around Canada and New Zealand before landing in Australia, where she then grew up. While attending the National Institute for Dramatic Art, she won a role on the Australian TV show 'Packed to the Rafters', which would catapult her to fame in her homeland and where she would meet her fiancé, co-star James Stewart. 'Packed to the Rafters' won a slew of awards in Australia and was a critical hit. The show was nominated for dozens of Logie Awards over its run and Marais received several nominations herself, taking home the awards for Most Popular New Female Talent and Most Outstanding New Talent in 2009. She was also nominated for the Most Popular Actress award in 2010, 2011, and 2012, though she didn’t win. She played the role of wholesome Rachel Rafter for four years but eventually left the show as she wanted to concentrate on her family- She and Stewart welcomed a baby girl, Scout, last year.

In 2012 the miniseries Magic City launched in the US, telling the story of a Miami hotelier in the 1950s who strikes a deal with a corrupt gang boss in order to save his business. Marais signed on as the gangster’s trophy wife, Lily Diamond, and is slated to return this year in the show’s second season. The new mum's role certainly had pulses racing with its saucy story-lines and full-frontal nudity. In just about every episode, the 27-year-old actress strips down to her smalls (and yes, often even less). Marais seems unconcerned that stills from the show are now all over the internet. "One of the reasons I did Magic City right off the back of Packed To The Rafters [was] to shake up the image of the girl next door," she told The Kyle And Jackie O Show. And boy has she succeeded! Jess was in the very early stages of her pregnancy during filming, but soldiered on with her sexy role – even when she had to film her first nude scene on her very first day on set.


Marais subsequently decided to relocate to Los Angeles to concentrate on her American film and TV career, partner Stewart also left ‘Packed to the Rafters’ in order to support her and care for baby Scout during the transition. Of working on the show, Marais told The Sydney Morning Herald that the set was absolutely authentic to the period details: "They don’t use anything that isn’t authentically from the 1950s. Even the things you don’t see, the right undergarments, the size of a heel on a shoe. The result is a world which 100 per cent informs your performance and informs the detail in your work."

She also said that she found Lily to be a much more complicated and fun role to play than one might expect: "There are so many layers to peel back with her, and as the first season unfolds you realise there’s so much more going on," she says. "Lily is one of the only female characters that is capable of playing in this dangerous, masculine world." Marais has previously stated that she’s having no problem dropping the baby weight gained during her pregnancy with Scout, as she gained a mere 7kg during her pregnancy due to a penchant for healthy snacks!