“Life is about timing,” grins EastEnders’ Michelle Collins, as she joins us at Inside Soap for a chat about her exciting new theatre project.
“I’m about to do my first ever solo stage show, which was actually meant to happen five years ago. Now is the best time – it feels like the start of something exciting!”
EastEnders icon Michelle will take time away from playing the Square’s sinful Cindy Beale temporarily over the summer, as the star makes her debut at the prestigious Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Motorhome Marilyn.
It’s a dark comedy about stardom, heartbreak and shattered dreams with a story that’s very close to Michelle’s heart, as the lady herself explains…
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Hi, Michelle! Tell us about your new play…
“It’s about a Marilyn Monroe impersonator called Denise, who lives in a small, old-style motorhome in Las Vagas. She came to Hollywood in the 1980s as an aspiring actress, leaving a difficult life in England. Denise was pursuing the American dream, seeking fame and fortune, but it hasn’t worked out.
“She lives an isolated life in a trailer, and as the years have gone by it’s become difficult to separate herself from Marilyn. She spends her life pretending to be Marilyn, trying to earn a living but not making much money, it’s quite sad. As the play goes on we learn more about her past…”
How different is your new character from Cindy?
“There are parallels. Denise is more likeable than Cindy, a bit more vulnerable. They’ve both had dreams that didn’t come, abandonment issues, and are a bit deluded. But neither of them let go or give up.
“Cindy and Denise are survivors, they’ve been through a lot but they are brazen and will fight for themselves until the bitter end! Maybe Denise could come into EastEnders as Cindy’s long-lost twin sister! We don’t know much about her upbringing…”
You must love that EastEnders has such strong female characters…
“Yes, and more shows on TV should be like that. When Cindy had an affair with Junior the audience didn’t question why women of a certain age can’t be with a younger man. When I was younger if someone had told me I’d still be acting in my 60s, I thought I’d probably be retired or dead by then! I still feel youthful, I’m still ambitious and am probably the happiest I’ve ever been.”
