Himesh Patel has revealed how an EastEnders legend helped him learn one of the most valuable lessons of his acting career - how to make even the dullest scenes come alive.
The Hollywood star, who has gone from playing Tamwar Masood in the BBC soap to working with Christopher Nolan, said his nine years on EastEnders gave him a “better training ground” than he could have asked for.
Lesson from Nitin Ganatra
He credits his on-screen dad Nitin Ganatra with teaching him how to find the creativity in even the most exposition-heavy scenes. Recalling one particular moment towards the end of his time on the soap, Himesh said Ganatra admitted he was struggling with a scene which essentially existed to “move the plot along”.
The pair ran through it together before Ganatra found a simple solution - bringing a folder into the scene. Himesh, 35, explained that suddenly the scene became about more than simply delivering information, with the characters’ intentions giving the otherwise mundane exchange a purpose.
Creative solutions on set
He said the experience taught him that “whatever’s happening on the page, there’s always a creative solution to making it more interesting for the camera”. And it was one of many lessons Himesh picked up during his nine years in Walford, where he also worked alongside Nina Wadia, who played his on-screen mum and also taught him "so many" "great lessons" on set.
The actor said the soap’s writers and producers never pigeonholed him as Tamwar, instead continually challenging him with comedy, drama and more emotional storylines.
Training ground for Hollywood
He said: "I couldn’t have really asked for a better training ground." Looking back, Himesh added: "I would have nothing without EastEnders if that hadn’t been the start of my career."
Now, with major Hollywood projects and filmmakers including Christopher Nolan on his CV, it is clear that lessons learned in Albert Square have travelled a very long way.
