Keeley Hawes
When Keeley Hawes was at drama school, little did she know that a few years later she and her classmates would be dominating the TV ratings and pop charts. Samantha Janus, Denise Van Outen, Dani Behr, Baby Spice Emma Bunton and All Saints stars Melanie Blatt, Nicole and Natalie Appleton were among Keeley’s fellow pupils at the prestigious Sylvia Young stage school in central London.
In the six years since she left, Keeley has become one of Britain’s most succesful young actresses. Leading roles in Karaoke by Dennis Potter, The Beggar Bride and Our Mutual Friend propelled her into the limelight and, with three other projects soon to be screened, her meteoric rise looks set to continue. The 22-year-old Londoner says she owes her burgeoning career to the happy years spent at Sylvia Young’s.
‘It seems like every blonde on TV went there,’ says Keeley with a laugh. ‘Samantha, Denise and Dani were a little older than me and the All Saints girls were there when I was quite young, but we were all there during the same era. It was a fantastic place to get started in acting.’
The daughter of a London cab driver, Keeley grew up in Marylebone and started stage school at the age of six, spending ten happy years there. ‘It was so different to normal school,’ she recalls. ‘We all felt special and there was a great energy and enthusiasm among all the staff and pupils.
‘Emma Bunton and I were good friends and I lived with her for about six months during my teens. It’s hard to keep up with her these days. The last time I saw her was at the Spice Girls’ Wembley concert and she looked great.’
Keeley left Sylvia Young’s when she was 16 and did stints at the LAMDA drama school and National Theatre before falling into a modelling career, ‘I was approached by a scout from the Models One agency when I was out shopping one day and asked if I wanted to try modeling,’ she says, ‘I was only 15 and forgot all about it, but a year or so later, I decided to give it a try. I wanted to travel and modeling took me all over the world. I saw places I would never have gone to otherwise.’
But Keeley soon became bored with the shallow nature of the business. ‘It was never a long-term career for me — but it was fun while it lasted,’ she says.
Following her dalliance with modelling, Keeley got her first acting break thanks to Sylvia Young’s. A casting agent noticed an old photo of Keeley in the actors’ directory Spotlight and contacted the school in a bid to track her down. ‘It was totally out of the blue,’ recalls Keeley. ‘She rang me up and told me that the producers of Karaoke wanted to see me for an audition.’
Within hours the role was hers, and Keeley has seen her career go from strength to strength ever since. She played Sean Connery’s assistant in The Avengers movie recently and has just completed two dramas: Blonde Bombshell, in which she portrays the young Diana Dors; and The Inspector Pitt Mysteries, which can be seen on ITV this Wednesday.
In the The Inspector Pitt Mysteries, which is co-produced between Prince Edward’s production company Ardent and Yorkshire Television, Keeley plays Charlotte Ellison, a Victorian feminist. ‘She is very intelligent, pretty and years ahead of her time,’ says Keeley. ‘She’d rather go without a man than be with one who treats her badly.’
With barely time to draw breath, Keeley has just left for Ireland to make a movie called The Last September with Maggie Smith and Michael Gambon. But in spite of her jet-set lifestyle, she has her feet firmly on the ground thanks to the stable influence of her parents, Tony and Brenda. ‘I’m very close to my mum and dad, they are my best friends and they are always there for me,’ says Keeley, who is the youngest of four.
‘They have never judged me and have always been on my side. If I gave all this up tomorrow they wouldn’t care.’
As busy as she is, Keeley hasn’t time for anyone special in her life and admits that she is feeling a bit left out. ‘All my friends seem to be settling down and getting married,’ she says ruefully, ‘and I haven’t even got a boyfriend” But I have to admit I like being my own person. I’m not such a great catch anyway — I’m not very domesticated and I can’t even boil an egg.’
Once filming on The Last September finished, Keeley is looking forward to a well-earned break. ‘I went away to Africa before Christmas and that was my first holiday in five years so I hope to go away again soon,’ she says, ‘I spent five weeks in Kenya and absolutely loved it. I’ve never been anywhere like that before and it had quite an effect on me.
‘You realise how materialistic our society is — it made me feel quite disgusted with myself when I came home. I stayed in very basic accommodation and met many local people. The only downside was when I was offered a mixture of cow’s blood and milk as a welcome drink, which tasted very odd.
‘I’d love to go back if I get the chance and perhaps even take a year off acting to work out there,’ she admits. ‘The idea of doing something like that really appeals to me. The place is full of adventure and my trip has really wet my appetite for seeing more of Africa.’
(Source: keeley-hawes.co.uk)