This interview originally appeared in Radio Times Magazine.
Since leaving Coronation Street in 2014 after seven years, Stockport-born actor Michelle Keegan has been in demand. Following Army drama Our Girl and award-winning Sky comedy Brassic, the 35-year-old is now dipping her toe into period drama, playing nurse Kate in
Ten Pound Poms, a six-part BBC One series about postwar Brits who were lured to Australia with the promise of a wonderful new life.
Why did you say yes to Ten Pound Poms?
Apart from the fact it was filmed in Australia? It’s a great part but I also enjoyed learning about the history. This was the 1950s when it was very grim living in England. People were promised a sunny new life with great job opportunities for just £10, but it wasn’t as idyllic as they thought it would be: they were put up in migrant hostels and had their passports taken off them for two years. My character, Kate, is out there alone, rewriting her past. She has a secret and she’s there for a reason.
How did you enjoy filming in Australia?
It was a lot colder than I thought! All I packed were flip-flops, dresses and T-shirts, and when I got there I had to buy a warm coat, a rain mac and boots. But it was amazing. I’d never been to Australia before – I had a bit of time off and I went travelling to Cairns. I went to a koala sanctuary and took a trip through the rainforest in an old steam train.
What do you look for in a role?
I like strong women; I think that probably comes from playing Tina McIntyre in Corrie when I was 19 years old. When I’m reading for these characters I feel a fire in my belly. When I left Corrie, I wanted the next thing to be right, and it was the same when I finished Our Girl and Brassic. I take time to think, “What’s the next step?”
Do you find people want to typecast you?
Yeah. Don’t get me wrong, I’m very lucky with the roles I’ve chosen but there have been brilliant scripts which are very similar to something I’ve just done. You think, “This would be great at another time but let’s try and change it up a little bit.” It’s hard to say no, though.
You were cast in Coronation Street after only your second-ever audition. What was it like going back to auditions after that?
Terrifying. I never in my wildest dreams thought I’d get Corrie so I went along to that audition with the mindset that it would just be good experience. Then, after seven years, to go back into the big wide world again was scary. A soap is so safe.
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There’s a lot of interest in your private life because you’re married to reality star and radio DJ Mark Wright. How do you manage that?
I grew up being in the media, and my outlook on it changed as I was growing up. I stopped enjoying it as much and I wanted a bit more privacy. It was just a thing that slowly happened where I grew the confidence to say that I wanted to keep some things to myself.
What would it surprise people to know about you?
Maybe that my most comfortable isn’t when I’m glam – it’s wearing no make-up at home in my jammies on the couch with the dogs. And I’m a good cook. I do a good gambas piri piri. I’ll still get dressed up now and again for a red carpet, but they’re very few and far between.
Well, in Ten Pound Poms you still look quite glam. Would you ever want to do something totally the opposite?
If the role was right, yes, I’d strip it back, get my hair greasy, anything. I dreamt of doing a period drama, and I’m currently filming my first proper thriller, so I’m totally open to whatever speaks to me.
You’re an Essex girl now. Do you love it, or do you miss the north?
Well, the weather’s good! If I’m in Essex for a few weeks, I get itchy feet and want to go back up north for a bit and vice versa. I don’t understand why you can’t get chips and gravy down south. I go for pie and mash but I don’t like the liquor, so I get gravy and I’m like, “Why has gravy not taken off here? It’s so much nicer!”
You started acting young — what would you have done if it hadn’t worked out?
When I decided to leave Corrie, I remember coming to terms with the idea of not acting again. I always said to myself, “If I don’t get a job after this, at least I’ve had a good run: not many people can say they’ve had this career for six and a half years.” The decision to leave was always a risk but it was the right thing for me at the time, so I’d never have regretted it. If it hadn’t worked out, I’d have done something to do with dogs – that’s my happy place.
Ten Pound Poms will premiere on BBC One and BBC iPlayer at 9pm on Sunday 14th May, airing weekly on BBC One and with all episodes available on iPlayer immediately.
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