Advertisement

'Inbetweeners' actor James Buckley says he's 'way over-achieved' as an actor

LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 17: Clair Meek and Inbetweeners star James Buckley attend Sky's Up Next event at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane on May 17, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Dave J Hogan/Getty Images)
Inbetweeners star James Buckley and his wife Clair at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in May (Getty Images)

Inbetweeners star James Buckley said there's 'no way' someone with his talent should have got to where he did with the show, claiming he has 'over-achieved' as an actor.

Speaking with his wife Clair on White Wine Question Time, the pair admitted the life of an actor is not the 'most stable', with James saying he 'wouldn't recommend it at all'.

James, who played Jay Cartwright in the coming of age comedy's three series and two films, also spoke about his work on Cameo, having this week been confirmed as the first millionaire on the personalised video messaging site.

When questioned about his success on the site, he told Kate Thornton: "I've way over-achieved, there's no way someone with my level of talent should have got to the position I've got to on things like The Inbetweeners.

Read more: James Buckley has made £930k on cameo

"You can sit around and wait for the phone to ring, which can be quite depressing. To be honest, it's been a long time since I've actually done some proper TV work anyway.

"But you can sit there and go: 'Well, this is rubbish. Why aren't I doing this that and the other?'

WATCH: The Buckleys talk about for better or worse, YouTube fame, and divorce

"Or you can just see it the way I do, that even if I don't do anything on television ever again, I've achieved quite a lot.

"And I don't have a right to be on television. If people want me on television, I'm sure they'll let me know."

Speaking before it was confirmed he had become the first person to break the $1 million (£930,000) barrier on Cameo, where people can request personalised messages from celebrity, he addressed previous rumours that he was close to the milestone.

Listen to the full episode to hear James and Clair give Kate an insight into their family life, balancing work and marriage and their new book

"Only almost a million? I need to have a word," he joked.

He said the reason he thought he was popular on the site was because he felt he charged a 'fair price' for the messages, and that two people could chip in £20 each for a message for their friend.

He said: "I'm not going to charge someone 150 quid for me, that would be disappointing I think.

Read more: Inbetweeners star James Buckley becomes Cameo’s first millionaire

"Everyone gets something out of it. If you keep it cheap enough, people don't feel like they're being ripped off, because I'd hate that."

He explained that he joined Cameo when he diary cleared just as the coronavirus pandemic hit, because he needed to be able to feed his two children and he 'wasn't going to be on a film set anytime soon'.

(From left to right) Joe Thomas who plays Simon Cooper, James Buckley who plays Jay Cartwright, Simon Bird who plays Will McKenzie and Blake Harrison who plays Neil Sutherland, during the filming of the forthcoming E4 comedy series 'The Inbetweeners' in Bushey, Hertfordshire.   (Photo by Ian West - PA Images/PA Images via Getty Images)
The Inbetweeners cast Joe Thomas who plays Simon Cooper, James Buckley who plays Jay Cartwright, Simon Bird who plays Will McKenzie and Blake Harrison who plays Neil Sutherland (PA Images via Getty Images)

Clair described it as 'an actor's way of working from home' and said they'd had videos sent to them of his messages being played at people's wedding while all the guests were sitting down to dinner.

"It's actually hilarious how people use them in these big moments," she said.

James said: "It did feel like a fun, easy way to make money that I could do at home. I didn't have to leave the house, I was being told I had to stay indoors."

WATCH: The Buckleys on the 'Strictly curse'