Sunday Magazine – May 26, 2019

S MAGAZINE ★ 26 MAY 2019 29

INTERVIEW

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youngest has just got in to them,”

she says. “We’d already started

the first book before I got the role.

I’ve been submerging myself in

the world but I don’t class it as

research as it’s hardly a chore.”

While Michelle was part of the

“it” crowd in the 90s, hanging out

with her mates All Saints (Shaznay

Lewis is godmother to her eldest

son) and Eternal, her career hit a

bit of a hiatus after having Isaiah.

She took three years out and says

it was quite a struggle to get back.

“I took the time off thinking I’ve

been in the industry over 10 years,

I’d just done Beauty And The Beast

and my singing, so I didn’t realise

how hard it would be to get back

in. But people think if you want to

take three years off you can’t be

that motivated, so they move on.

“I don’t regret it, because

I wanted that time with my kid and

it was right for him. But I was very

conscious with my second that

I couldn’t do it in quite the same

way, so I found a way to juggle it

all. Luke has a ‘manny’ looking

after him while I do the play, and

while he objected to it originally,

they’re best buddies now.”

Hard work doesn’t faze Michelle.

She has been a grafter since she

started at the Barbara Speake

Stage School in west London at

the age of nine, when she realised

that apart from a few other black

students, including Naomi

Campbell and Amma Asante, she

was very much in the minority.

“I always knew I was going to

have less opportunities and a

slower journey because they used

to call out, ‘Would all the white

girls aged between eight and 16

come down for an audition’ and

often I was left in the class on my

own. I got moved up to Naomi’s

and Amma’s class, so I grew up

with them – we still talk to each

other – and we always say the

school prepared you for that.

“So we’ve all diversified and

I always put it down to knowing

we needed to have other skills.

I write, I sing and I act because

I knew I needed to.”

It also meant Michelle didn’t go

off the rails when her EastEnders

co-star Danniella Westbrook was

starting her sad decline into

drug abuse or succumb to the

advances of music producers

trying to take advantage of her.

“It was because of that

grounding,” she affirms. “First of

all I have less opportunity, so the

last thing I can be is on drugs.

I didn’t see a second chance for

black actors – you couldn’t mess

it up. My parents always said you

can be whatever you want but

you’re not going to have the same

chances as everyone else so

you’ve got to deliver. The first time

I was drunk I was 35.

“Danniella was a beautiful

young girl and got sucked in to

a world of people telling you it’s

glamorous to do this or that when

you’re so susceptible. I send her

messages and she knows I love

and care about her.

“And thank God for Me Too,

because the things you thought

were normal, but were completely

unacceptable, are finally being

talked about. Women shouldn’t

have to go through that. The

propositions and the ‘maybe if

I did this for you then you’ll do

it...’ I always knew in my head

that it wasn’t conducive to me.

It wasn’t going to happen.”

Michelle is the eldest of five

children born to Jamaican and

Grenadian parents, whom she

describes as “very straight,

hard-working and keen to make

their way.” And because of her

good genes she doesn’t look a day

over 40 – Hermione’s supposed

age – despite now being 48.

“It’s just luck,” she smiles. “My

parents look young. I’ve not had

Botox or anything. I think the more

I can move my face around the

better for everyone. I actually like

it when people age gracefully.”

So which of her skills is she

keen to hone? With her former

Grange Hill co-star Lee MacDonald

(aka Zammo) joining EastEnders,

would she return there? “Yes,

I heard that. Good for him. If they

came to me with a really good

storyline I’m sure it would be

tempting but I have other stuff

going on. Music is off the cards. I

had the best of times, you couldn’t

top it, so I don’t need to chase that.

“I love the writing and the

acting most. I’m doing a lot of

scriptwriting and developing my

own shows and I’d love to realise

that ambition. There are loads

of stories to be told from a black

Londoner’s viewpoint that you

don’t get to see on TV.

“It would be nice to expand our

world view on things.”

Harry Potter And The Cursed Child

is at the Palace Theatre, London,

until January. For more information,

see harrypottertheplay.com.

Michelle with some of the

cast of EastEnders in 1992

As Hermione in Harry

Potter And The Cursed Child

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REX FEATURES / MANUEL HARLAN / BBC ARCHIVE