Call yourself scandalous, Naomi?
Star of steamy new drama is Bible-reading pastor’s daughter married to her childhood sweetheart
SHE plays an MP’s young lover caught in a dark tale of betrayal in Netflix’s newest political thriller, but in real life, pastor’s daughter Naomi Scott would rather read Bible verses with her footballer husband.
The devout Christian made her debut on Friday in Anatomy Of A Scandal, an adaptation of Sarah Vaughan’s novel about a wealthy politician accused of raping his researcher lover.
Better known for her role as Jasmine in Disney’s musical fantasy Aladdin, Naomi has won praise for her portrayal of researcher Olivia Lytton in the provocative six-part series.
The thriller, which is liberally sprinkled with steamy bedroom scenes, follows the star-studded cast including Sienna Miller, Michelle Dockery and Rupert Friend from the House of Commons to the Old Bailey as a sex scandal turns into a tense courtroom battle.
But the drama is a world away from Naomi’s own background.
The 28-year-old, whose parents are pastors at a church in East London,
‘I don’t know how I would do life without my faith’
originally dreamed of being a singer before landing her Aladdin role in 2019, and later that year a part in Hollywood’s reboot of the action comedy Charlie’s Angels.
In 2014, she married her childhood sweetheart Jordan Spence, now 31, a former West Ham and Ipswich footballer who today plays as a defender for Dutch side Den Haag.
They met when she was just 16, and they remain parishioners at her parents’ church, where the couple have been known to give Bible readings and offer daily devotions.
Speaking in 2019 as UK ambassador for Compassion International, the Christian child sponsorship programme, Naomi said faith was central to her life and work.
‘Sometimes we get asked the question, “How do you juggle your faith and what you do?” But for me, I don’t know how I would do life without my faith,’ she said.
‘That peace that you know you’re loved and valued is something that keeps me incredibly grounded, incredibly focused… My faith is just a part of who I am and what I do.’ For Naomi, the darkness at the heart of Anatomy Of A Scandal reverberates in real life. ‘You don’t have to look too far within your own world for people who have gone through something similar,’ she said recently.