After leaving Albert Square for Hollywood, EastEnders star Himesh Patel appears to be worlds apart from Tamwar Masood.
Actor Himesh Patel may be best remembered for his portrayal as Tamwar Masood on EastEnders, but these days he seems very different.
On the day of his GCSEs, when he was barely 16 years old, he received a call encouraging him to audition for the program. As a result, he made his debut on October 1, 2007. Tamwar oversaw a number of interesting storylines throughout the years, including negotiating the demands of her family and several love relationships, particularly with Afia Masood and Nancy Carter.
Himesh departed the serial opera in 2016 to pursue other chances after nine years of work, during which he and co-star Meryl Fernandes were honored with the Inside serial Award for Best Wedding in 2011. He has now made his breakthrough in Hollywood, appearing in movies including Tenet and Yesterday.
Looking back on his career, Patel, 33, stated that his stint on the BBC serial opera had a significant influence on his development as an actor. He talked about how the show’s intense pace and rigorous schedule taught him to work hard and push himself and how he came to realize that appreciating the acting art was more important than pursuing stardom.
Backstage, he said, “It was about the work.” It was not about notoriety or notoriety-worthiness.
“While on the program, I had the good fortune to collaborate closely with many performers who valued the craft of acting over celebrity because they had either received training or had taken intriguing detours to get there.
“At that impressionable age, to know when to say yes and when to say no and when to take a step back and go to the root of everything—that was really important.”
The actor talked candidly earlier this year about experiencing “slight imposter syndrome” as he moved from the tiny screen to Hollywood.
“I think I still have slight imposter syndrome about the whole thing, because people aren’t meant to go on that journey,” he said in an interview with The Independent.
He went on to say, “That’s not meant to happen.” You’re not supposed to work nine years on EastEnders and then land the main part in a Danny Boyle production,” she said, alluding to Yesterday, the Beatles-themed musical.
“I’m happy to serve as an example of how it can be done. I hope that I’m not the final up-and-coming actor to make their name in a soap opera.”
