IT’S a tale as old as time: soap star quits the UK to crack Hollywood, soap star returns a few years later with their tail between their legs, with – if they’re lucky enough – a ‘comeback’ storyline on their old show.
Being known for starring in the likes of EastEnders, Emmerdale and Coronation Street is often a hard label to shake in tinseltown.
Himesh Patel has succeeded where his soap star counterparts have tried and failed Credit: Admedia Photo / SplashNews.com
He shot to fame as lovable geek Tamwar in EastEnders Credit: Kieron McCarron
But Himesh Patel, who shot to fame as EastEnders’ loveable geek Tamwar Masood, has succeeded where many of his TV actor counterparts have tried and failed.
The 35-year-old stars in Christopher Nolan’s latest film, The Odyssey, alongside huge names including Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway and Zendaya.
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Himesh’s secret to success? He’s never been seduced by the celebrity lifestyle that a gig on one of the country’s top soaps can bring with it.
He previously told Red: “There’s a thin line on soaps between being a celebrity and being an actor.
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EastEnders’ Himesh Patel life after show – from Hollywood stardom to soap return
Himesh quit the BBC One soap back in 2016 and has gone onto bigger things Credit: BBC
Three years after leaving the soap he landed the leading role in Danny Boyle’s Yesterday Credit: Alamy Stock Photo
Himesh [right] stars alongside Matt Damon [centre] in The Odyssey Credit: © Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved
Himesh credits his parents for instilling in him a strong work ethic from a young age Credit: Getty
“If you want to be an actor, you have to keep it about the work. That’s been a guiding principle ever since.”
For many, being a big fish in the relatively small pond that is the British celebrity circuit is enough.
But – despite making his EastEnders debut in 2007 – we’ve never seen photos of Himesh stumbling out of showbiz parties weighed down by a bag of free goodies.
Instead, after quitting the BBC One soap in 2016, he kept his head down and was almost entirely forgotten about.
That is until he landed the leading role in Danny Boyle’s Yesterday three years later.
He played struggling musician Jack Malik who, after being hit by a bus, wakes up to discover The Beatles have been erased from history – and he’s the only person who remembers their songs.
A decade later, there is buzz amongst fans that Himesh will make history as the first ex-EastEnders star to win an Academy Award at next year’s Oscars.
Himesh credits his parents for instilling in him a strong work ethic from a young age.
They ran a newsagents in Cambridgeshire and he helped out by doing a paper round from 16 until he was 21 – five years after he joined EastEnders.
Given his rising star in Hollywood, you could forgive Himesh for perhaps wanting to make people forget about his humble Albert Square beginnings.
But instead he is proud of where he came from.
In a recent interview, Himesh said: “At the time I was already like, ‘how am I on this show?’
“So if someone had told me that this is where I’d be in 19, 20 years, I’d have thought they were yanking my chain.
“I just really hope that I’m not the only one. I hope that we continue to look at those sorts of shows and kids who grow up on those shows as potential talents for the future as opposed to only looking at the kind of pipelines that we tend to look at.”
