Michelle Ryan reveals why she wants to be Hollywood's hottest action hero - and explains how her new role has given her the confidence she's always craved By John Marrs
The dreary streets of Walford must seem a world away for ex-EastEnders star Michelle Ryan. Since quitting the soap two years ago, her career has gone stratospheric.
Now, thanks to her role as Jaime Sommers, a part-human, part-mechanical heroine in US big budget series The Bionic Woman, Michelle has high-kicked her way to the top of the Hollywood tree - and even has her sights on Angelina Jolie's crown.
“When I watch Angelina in Tomb Raider, I feel good about myself. I want to be like that," says Michelle.
"I've done so many incredible action sequences. It gives me a real buzz when I'm flying around in a harness and spinning kicks.”
As well as being the role that will propel Michelle, 23, to global superstardom, getting the part of a confident character has had a more profound effect on her life.
“I was known for playing Zoe Slater in EastEnders – a fairly weak character," says Michelle. “But my new role is the young woman
I've always wanted to be. I wanted to be strong and confident, and I feel like playing her is helping me get there. It's a fresh start.”
And it's a part that resonates deeply with Michelle.
“Like my character, I have strength and feistiness. I'm smart, but I also have a vulnerable side," she explains.
It was this aspect of her personality which led to Michelle's emotional breakdown in 2002. Then just 18, the pressures of work and splitting from actor Gary Lucy, took their toll. “That was a low point – the lowest in fact,” she's said of the time. Soap bosses gave her leave before she returned five months later and became one of the show's best-loved characters.
After a raft of controversial storylines, including getting pregnant by Dirty Den and then helping cover up his murder, Michelle left the Square in 2005. Although many ex-EastEnders have come to regret their departures, she's never looked back. Her roles in high-profile productions like Jekyll and Mansfield Park won acclaim, and she now has a couple of feature films - I Want Candy and Cashback - under her belt.
But advancing her career has involved some sacrifices. Filming in Canada meant Michelle had to get used to being away from her family in Middlesex.
"I've had two and a half months on my own, but I'm learning all the time," she explains. “I feel like it's helpful being away from home. I can be fully focused on work."
But when she's been back in the UK, Michelle has missed out on The Bionic Woman's success.
“Friends in LA email me pictures of me on big billboards. When I go there, I realise how huge the show is – and there are posters of me everywhere!” she says.
“Five years on EastEnders was the best apprenticeship. At times the show had 20 million viewers, so I feel like that was a dress rehearsal for this moment.
“I'm enjoying it. I feel like a kid living out my childhood fantasy."
The Bionic Woman is on ITV2 later this year
www.now
The dreary streets of Walford must seem a world away for ex-EastEnders star Michelle Ryan. Since quitting the soap two years ago, her career has gone stratospheric.
Now, thanks to her role as Jaime Sommers, a part-human, part-mechanical heroine in US big budget series The Bionic Woman, Michelle has high-kicked her way to the top of the Hollywood tree - and even has her sights on Angelina Jolie's crown.
“When I watch Angelina in Tomb Raider, I feel good about myself. I want to be like that," says Michelle.
"I've done so many incredible action sequences. It gives me a real buzz when I'm flying around in a harness and spinning kicks.”
As well as being the role that will propel Michelle, 23, to global superstardom, getting the part of a confident character has had a more profound effect on her life.
“I was known for playing Zoe Slater in EastEnders – a fairly weak character," says Michelle. “But my new role is the young woman
I've always wanted to be. I wanted to be strong and confident, and I feel like playing her is helping me get there. It's a fresh start.”
And it's a part that resonates deeply with Michelle.
“Like my character, I have strength and feistiness. I'm smart, but I also have a vulnerable side," she explains.
It was this aspect of her personality which led to Michelle's emotional breakdown in 2002. Then just 18, the pressures of work and splitting from actor Gary Lucy, took their toll. “That was a low point – the lowest in fact,” she's said of the time. Soap bosses gave her leave before she returned five months later and became one of the show's best-loved characters.
After a raft of controversial storylines, including getting pregnant by Dirty Den and then helping cover up his murder, Michelle left the Square in 2005. Although many ex-EastEnders have come to regret their departures, she's never looked back. Her roles in high-profile productions like Jekyll and Mansfield Park won acclaim, and she now has a couple of feature films - I Want Candy and Cashback - under her belt.
But advancing her career has involved some sacrifices. Filming in Canada meant Michelle had to get used to being away from her family in Middlesex.
"I've had two and a half months on my own, but I'm learning all the time," she explains. “I feel like it's helpful being away from home. I can be fully focused on work."
But when she's been back in the UK, Michelle has missed out on The Bionic Woman's success.
“Friends in LA email me pictures of me on big billboards. When I go there, I realise how huge the show is – and there are posters of me everywhere!” she says.
“Five years on EastEnders was the best apprenticeship. At times the show had 20 million viewers, so I feel like that was a dress rehearsal for this moment.
“I'm enjoying it. I feel like a kid living out my childhood fantasy."
The Bionic Woman is on ITV2 later this year
www.now