Soap stars who cracked Hollywood as Michelle Keegan calls out 'snobbery'

Soap is a good gig for many an actor - regular work in an often unstable industry, and legions of fans make it a tempting option.

However, many a former soap star has found that trying to transition to a Hollywood career can be tricky once you're pigeon holed, and ex Coronation Street actor Michelle Keegan has called out the "snobbery" many experience.

Keegan has had high-profile roles in Our Girl, Brassic and most recently Netflix's Fool Me Once, told Fearne Cotton's Happy Place podcast: "I’m naturally disciplined but I think that’s come from being in a soap. I think there’s a lot of snobbery surrounding soaps.

"For me, it’s the best learning platform you can ever do as an actor. I remember we were filming three different story lines at one time, with three different directors, not in chronological order, going back and forward. Being in a soap, it’s so fast-paced you have to be on your game. You have to be."

She added: "I feel like that discipline I learnt from soaps at such a young age I sort of carried that through my career."

Although there are doubtless plenty who would agree with her, these former soap actors managed to hit the big time in Hollywood.

Margot Robbie

One of the most successful ex soap stars is Australian actor Margot Robbie, who moved on to the big screen after starting her career at Neighbours. Current big name of the 2024 awards season Robbie is expected to start the year with a slew of trophies for Barbie and has previously been recognised for her roles in I, Tonya and Bombshell.

Robbie's other acclaimed roles have included playing Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad and Birds of Prey, and appearing alongside Leonardo DiCaprio in The Wolf of Wall Street. Her production company, LuckyChap Entertainment, is behind Barbie, I, Tonya, Promising Young Woman and Saltburn.

She isn't the only Aussie star to have found soap a great launchpad into Hollywood, as other big names making the leap have included Isla Fisher, Chris and Luke Hemsworth, and Guy Pearce.

Ben Hardy

EastEnders has had a number of Peter Beales over the years, but the most successful has been Ben Hardy who is now a bona fide Hollywood film star.

Hardy has starred in a number of big name films, with his best known roles as Angel in X-Men: Apocalypse and playing Roger Taylor in Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody.

Sam Strike

Hardy isn't the only actor to have swapped Albert Square for Sunset Boulevard - one of the original Carter clan, Sam Strike, left his UK role as Johnny Carter to move to the US.

Strike's credits include Texas Chainsaw Massacre prequel Leatherface, and Netflix series Mindhunter.

Rob Kazinsky

Rob Kazinsky was something of a soap villain as EastEnders' Sean Slater, but his sinister storylines hit new heights when he joined the cast of US vampire series True Blood.

He's also appeared in films including Captain Marvel and Pacific Rim, proving there's definitely life outside of Walford.

Nathalie Emmanuel

Hollyoaks might not seem like the most obvious route to Hollywood, but Nathalie Emmanuel has made a huge success of her start as Sasha Valentine.

She was Missandei in Game Of Thrones from 2013 until the series end in 2019 - no small achievement in the series that was fond of wielding the axe at characters - and has also appeared in the Fast And Furious films seven, eight and nine.

Himesh Patel

Another ex-EastEnder who hit the big time is Himesh Patel, known to soap fans as Tamwar Masood, who found that a six-year run on Albert Square did nothing to hold back his film career.

Patel has had roles in Christopher Nolan film Tenet, The Aeronauts and Beatles-inspired Yesterday, as well as Netflix movies Don't Look Up and Enola Holmes 2.

Rachel Shenton

Hollyoaks alumnus Rachel Shenton found fame as the soap's Mitzeee Minniver, but her career took a much more serious turn when she won an actual Academy Award in 2018.

Shenton picked up her Oscar for short film The Silent Child, about a deaf girl learning sign language, which she wrote, produced and starred in.

Michelle Ryan

Back in the Noughties, Michelle Ryan was hugely famous in the UK for her part as Zoe Slater in EastEnders, which included the infamous "You ain't my mother" line to Kat (who in fact was).

In 2007, she set her sights on the US and landed the lead role in a TV remake of The Bionic Woman with short-lived success. She has also said she auditioned for the Casino Royale role that eventually went to Eva Green.

Anna Friel

It's been 30 years since Anna Friel first found fame in Brookside, but while the soap has long since been cancelled, Friel's career has continued from strength to strength.

As well as her long list of UK TV roles, the former Beth Jordache actor has appeared in films The Land Girls, A Midsummer Night's Dream and Goal!, as well as earning a Golden Globe nomination for US series Pushing Daisies.