Number 3 in our series of ‘Before they were famous’ brings us to the Bionic Babe herself, Michell Ryan.
Whilst Michelle was famous in the UK for many years before ‘Bionic’, she was by compasrison unknown to the rest of the world. This scene is from ‘Eastenders’ the BBC show which endeared her to the British public. So let’s say that she was ‘almost famous’ at the time this scene was transmitted back in 2005:
One thing that strikes me from watching this is that although she is speaking in an English accent, this isn’t really Michelle’s normal accent..she’s speaking ‘Cockney’ which is a London accent (where this show is set). Michelle’s normal speaking voice is a bit more posh. So Michelle has had quite a bit of experience with accents, so no wonder she’s so good with her American one! Although many people, myself included, would love for her to “speak British” in BW from now on!
Another noticeable thing from watching this clip is how much Michelle has glammed up since then! She was always one of the more desirable ladies in ‘Eastenders’ but it’s definitely a far less sexy show than ‘Jekyll’ or ‘Bionic’. In Bionic she has been allowed show off her beauty whilst combining it with vulnerability and strength, and credit to her because I think that we sometimes forget that Jaime is supposed to be an ordinary woman who is trying to find out who she is, whilst having to deal with this unexpected and unwanted curveball that’s been imposed on her.
Anyway, look out for next weeks victim, as Before They Were Famous drags up some more old footage from our Bionic Stars early (and often embarrassing) performances!
