At some point in the future,
when people look back on the
career of Himesh Patel, they will probably
describe the role of Jack Malik, the unlikely
hero at the center of Danny Boyle’s new
rom-com Yesterday, as his breakthrough.
Really, though, Patel’s debut came in 2001,
when he was eleven and the lead of his
school play, a parody titled This Is Your Life,
Santa Claus. “In what was at the time quite
a diverse piece of casting,” the 28-year-
old recalls, “I played the host, Michael
Aspel”—a 68-year-old white man—“and
the teacher told my parents, ‘He’s actually
quite good.’ ” Acting school ensued,
and at sixteen, Patel landed a regular spot
on EastEnders, the long-running BBC soap
opera, playing the part of Tamwar Masood,
the son of a postmaster and a wannabe
stand-up comic. Coincidentally, Patel was
living at home with his parents, postmasters
who also owned a newspaper-and-magazine
shop in Sawtry, a tiny village near the Great
Ouse river. Patel himself delivered papers
until he was 21. “I would wake up always too
late,” he jokes.
As Jack, Patel plays a struggling
singer-songwriter living in a Sawtry-size
village who, at the opening of the film,
is waiting for his big break. His manager,
Ellie, meanwhile—a childhood friend
played by Lily James (Downton Abbey,
Baby Driver)—is waiting for TALENT>48TALENT
In Danny Boyle’s Yesterday,
actor Himesh Patel resides in a
Beatles-less alternate universe.He Is the WalrusGUITAR HERO
THE ACTOR IN A COBRA
S.C. SHIRT AND STELLA
McCARTNEY PANTS.
HAIR, ORLANDO PITA;
GROOMING, FRANCELLE
DALY. DETAILS, SEE
IN THIS ISSUE.
PHOTOGRAPHED BY
PETER LINDBERGH.
SITTINGS EDITOR:
MICHAEL PHILOUZE.
PRODUCED BY 2B PLUS
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