Fine Import
God blessed America when Layla Kayleigh ditched the Queen’s country for the land of the free
Story Anna David

Layla Kayleigh never says never. Example: If Angelina Jolie asked the 108-pound spitfire for a no-strings-attached bedroom romp, she’d consider it. Attribute her open mind and frank speech to life experience that seems to exceed her 23 years.

An only child raised by a single mom in South London, Kayleigh opted to raise herself from the age of 12 on, rather than worry Mom, who was in America trying to land the two of them citizenship. “I was always kind of savvy,” says the Brit, who boasts a more diverse gene pool than patched-up Levi’s (Kayleigh is a Middle Eastern-Black-Mediterranean-white hybrid). “I didn’t tell a soul [about being on my own] because I was afraid Social Services was gonna come and get me.”

Years later, Layla, who’s hosted on MTV2 in England and ABC’s football halftime show, is indeed wanted. And with Hollywood now on her radar, she plans to be more in demand than capable CIA operatives.

KING: You seem to have a clothing-optional mentality. Do you always dress sexy?
LAYLA KAYLEIGH Well, I want to show people that you can wear low-cut jeans and still have something to say. I don’t think if I’m wearing lingerie in a magazine that makes me a bad woman or a slut. It’s like, I can’t wear this lingerie when I’m like 60 and a grandma and have stretch marks and a big old booty.

Great philosophy! Ever been asked to pose naked? A scout from Playboy came up to me when I was walking on Sunset and said, “Come and do a shoot for us.” They didn’t guarantee anything, but they were like, “We’d be interested.”

Do you applaud women who get nude to get their names out? I have nothing against anyone who does that but I was like, I want to do so many other things. It’s so hard to be taken seriously as a woman. Like if you’re a woman that likes to dress sexy, people assume that you don’t have a brain or that you don’t have anything to say.

Okay, then. Here’s your chance to smack those critics in the kisser. Give me your thoughts on nudity. I have a weird philosophy about nudity. If I want to be naked for myself in a magazine where I’m covering my boobs or something, I think that’s different than being a Playmate. Because then they kind of own you. But if one day I wake up and I say, “Hey, I feel like doing Playboy today,” and I’ve already established myself in the industry, I think that’s kind of different.

You’re testing Hollywood waters. Ever been offered a spot on the casting couch? I had a really bad encounter with a producer that I had respected and admired so much. He was basically like, “You know, you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours,” and I was so angry and sad. I told him, “If you don’t believe in my talent, then I’m sure someone in this town will.” He was like, “I don’t see you getting anywhere your way.”

Wow. Sex for screenplays, huh? Well, what kind of man would you invite over for tea and biscuits? I wish to God I could find a sexy man. I meet so many different men and either they’re really arrogant and flashy or they’re scared to be themselves and they feel like they have to lie or run games. All the men I’ve met have been like little boys. And I don’t want a boy; I want a man. So long as he’s a man and he knows how to treat a woman, I don’t care whether he’s black, white, Asian, or Spanish.

Do you relate to one of your ethnicities over another? That’s a weird thing with me. I’ve always been an outcast because I’ve never fit in to any one particular pedigree. I think my mom kind of gets mad at me because I’m so detached from my roots; I’m not out really finding out what this culture is and what that culture is. I kind of just lived my life being Layla. My identity was not where I came from, my roots or my ethnicity. I relate to humanity and not, like, white or black. I’ve been on welfare, and I’ve grown up in bad areas, and I’ve lived in nice areas and had friends who had private jets. I relate to all different types of people. I don’t see color or money.

Who has better pick-up lines: broke dudes or the private-jet posse? Either way, I don’t trust guys who tell me I look beautiful because I’ve seen some guys telling that to some girls that are really not that cute.