Dev Patel's Girlfriend Met Him Because of a 'Hotel Mumbai' Cast Change: Meet Tilda Cobham-Hervey

Dev Patel's girlfriend, Tilda Cobham-Hervey, is an Australian actress who would not have met him if she did not replace one of the cast members in the 2018 action thriller film "Hotel Mumbai."

Dev Patel is a British actor of Indian descent who started his acting career in 2006 when he starred in the series "Skins." He made his movie debut as Jamal Malik in "Slumdog Millionaire," a role that made him the youngest BAFTA nominee for Best Actor.

The actor has starred in other movies and series such as "The Newsroom," "The Last Airbender," "Chappie," "The Road Within," "The Man Who Knew Infinity," "The Green Knight," and more.

However, his role as Arjun in "Hotel Mumbai" led him to the love of his life, Cobham-Hervey, in 2018, and they started dating almost immediately.

Patel and his girlfriend have kept their relationship away from the eye of the media for the most part. Although she is an actress, there is more to her than her movie roles.

Tilda Cobham-Hervey Was Initially a Circus Performer

Cobham-Hervey was born in Adelaide, Australia, on September 4, 1994. At nine, she started training and performing in the circus and held this job for seven years.

As a circus performer, she specialized in using the hula hoop, trapeze, and acrobatic pitching to tell stories theatrically. She co-founded an award-winning circus group six years after beginning her circus career.

In 2017, Cobham-Hervey added director to her list of talents when she directed the short film she wrote, "A Field Guide to Being a 12-Year-Old Girl." The short film has been described as a cross between a documentary and a theatre piece.

The Australia-produced film was commissioned by ABC and Screen Australia and received the Crystal Bear award for Best Short Film at the 68th Berlin International Film Festival in 2018.

In 2021, she devised and did the voice-over for a theatre piece, "Two Strangers Walk Into a Bar," which premiered at the world's second-largest annual arts festival, Adelaide Fringe.

Tilda Cobham-Hervey Has Never Been to Drama School

Although she has starred in various movies and series, Cobham-Hervey does not have professional training to be an actress. She said:

"I've never been to drama school, I never did the school play."

By doing auditions and meeting filmmakers, the actress began learning how to become better at her craft. In addition, she loves reading whatever scripts she finds.

Cobham-Hervey believes that one must enjoy the processes before making it to the screen -- from trying out and waiting to be called for the role -- even though it is hard.

When she is not working in front of the camera, she works behind it by writing and directing. In 2020, she co-wrote and directed the short film "Roborovski" with her boyfriend.

She Wasn't Supposed to Play the Role That Brought Them Together

Tilda Cobham-Hervey met her boyfriend by chance when they added her to the cast of "Hotel Mumbai." In the movie, she played the role of Sally, a nanny.

Australian actress Teresa Palmer was initially slated for the role, but once she knew she was pregnant, the actress decided to step down.

The movie was based on a true story about the terrorist attack at the Taj Hotel in Mumbai. In her role, she was a nanny to the son of an American couple who were guests at the hotel.

Although she was a last-minute addition to the movie that premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 7, 2018, Cobham-Hervey found love on the movie's set.

The movie was filmed in Adelaide, Australia, and India. However, it was during the filming in Adelaide that she met Patel. She was said to have shown him around her hometown and introduced him to Jasmin, now his favorite restaurant in Adelaide.