Emmy-nominated actor Himesh Patel felt “defective” when he was a teenager going through acne on EastEnders.
The 34-year-old, known for playing the central character in Danny Boyle-directed Yesterday, began his career on the BBC One soap as Tamwar Masood.
Patel told GQ magazine: “When you’re a teenager and you have acne, it’s the worst thing in the world. But then when you’ve got acne in front of millions of people every week in EastEnders, it’s a whole other thing.”
He added: “It was rough. You just kind of feel defective because you’re surrounded by actors. Everyone gets spots, but I just felt the pressure. So I try and do better now.
“I think there is something undeniably difficult about ageing in different ways. I grew up having really thick hair, and the hairdressers were always like, ‘you’re gonna be fine’
“Then I turned 30, and it just started evacuating the building. So I’m feeling it a bit. But, ultimately, I think it’s still more of a pressure for women.”
Patel, also known for Netflix disaster film Don’t Look Up, HBO Max dystopian series Station Eleven, satire The Franchise and Sir Christopher Nolan-directed Tenet, also said “there’s a danger to pursuing a certain homogeneous idea of beauty”.
He added: “So I’m very wary of going a bit too far in the other direction. I just think you can take care of yourself and that will hopefully help you along as best as you can.
“Like: don’t smoke 20 a day. Don’t spend too long in the sun.”
Patel’s storyline on the soap as bookworm Tamwar involved marrying Afia Masood (Meryl Fernandes), and mother Zainab (Nina Wadia) interfering in his life.
At the 2011 Inside Soap Awards, his marriage day took home the best wedding prize.
He has also picked up a 2022 Emmy nod for best actor in a limited or anthology series for Station Eleven as paparazzo turned health worker Jeevan Chaudhary.
