Eastender’s Star Michelle Collins Takes on a New Challenge
Michelle Collins, who plays Cindy Beale in the soap opera Eastenders, is set to debut at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Edinburgh. She will be performing in a one-woman show called Residential Mobile Marilyn, where she plays an emerging actress with an obsessive interest in Hollywood legend Marilyn Monroe.
Stepping Out of Her Comfort Zone
Collins admitted to feeling a bit anxious about taking on this new role, but she is excited to challenge herself and get out of her comfort zone. She believes that it’s essential to be a bit afraid and take risks, especially at her age. Collins said, "When you start and do something else that you really challenge you, you are really not out of your comfort zone. It is really exciting and then it goes back to TV and feels again."
Drawing Inspiration from Her Heritage
Collins drew inspiration from the strong women in her family, particularly her Welsh ancestors! She described her mother as an incredibly strong woman and said that all the Welsh women she knows are strong and matriarchal characters. Collins’ mother grew up in Hopkinstown in Pontypridd, Rhondda Cynon Taf, and she would often visit her family there when she was a child.
A New Show and a New Experience
The one-woman show is based on a real person who Collins met on the streets of Los Angeles, who was disguised as Marilyn Monroe. Collins said, "I think life is about timing. It feels like the stars are somehow aligned. I am back in Eastenders and they leave me free for what is really fantastic." She has been performing in various stage and screen shows, including Calendar Girls and Doctor Who, and is excited to take on this new challenge.
Returning to Eastenders
Collins returned to her role as Cindy Beale in Eastenders after 25 years, and she is grateful for the opportunity to balance her work on the soap opera with her other projects. She said, "I have been outside of Eastenders for 25 years and have done a lot of work, lots of television, a lot of theater and I am the kind of person I only get itchy feet." Collins is looking forward to performing at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and taking on new challenges in her career.
