Zack Morris, known for his role in EastEnders, has launched a project away from the small screen to help young people. To achieve it, he’s reunited with a former colleague from his time on the BBC soap.
The actor portrayed Keegan Baker in EastEnders for five years before departing in 2022, and has gone on to have a successful career with roles in acclaimed medical drama The Pitt and Disney’s Goosebumps.
Away from the screen, Morris has reunited with Steve Basaula – who played Isaac Baptiste on the soap – to form the Process Drama Club, an initiative which aims to support people as they transition into the creative arts industry.
Speaking to Big Issue about the venture, Morris reasoned that it was set up to provide a pathway to talented young people, sharing: “I guess we [Steve and I] are trying to somewhat even the playing field.
“We have been around a lot of actors who trained, spent all that money and then after a year or two of things not going the way they hoped, they stop. And that dream dies a little bit.
BBC
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“With a bit more insight, a proper usable toolkit to help with what is needed now – not 15 years ago – maybe we can stop that happening for the next generation of talent… No more gatekeeping. If I win, you win – that’s the ethos I want to live by.”
Morris, who will be seen in Prime Video’s action thriller The Bluff later this month, also reflected on his experience in EastEnders, with the actor recalling that he was initially overwhelmed by the knowledge he gained so early into his career.
Kieron McCarron/Jack Barnes//BBC
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“I remember them saying all this technical stuff to me – there were more cameras than I’d worked with before – and I didn’t really know what they were talking about,” he said. “I learned so much about craft… It gives you a taste of everything.”
While Morris departed East London four years ago, the soap is still full of drama these days, with a major upcoming storyline seeing actor Joshua Vaughan join the series as the twin brother of Jasmine Fisher and son of Zoe Slater.
EastEnders airs on Mondays-Thursdays at 7.30pm on BBC One. The show also streams on BBC iPlayer, where most episodes drop early at 6am ahead of their TV broadcast.
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