Inside Michelle Keegan’s Hollywood plans after rise from Corrie ‘chav’ to TV darling – & why Mark’s sweet promise is key
LOOK out, Hollywood – the Keegan-Wrights are coming for you. And this time, they’re headed for the top.
As The Sun reported earlier this week, Michelle Keegan and Mark Wright are quietly considering their options in La-La land, with Michelle’s rocketing acting career promising big things.
Michelle Keegan took a break from her maternity leave to storm the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival in May this yearCredit: AP
The actress cuddled up to Hollywood powerhouse Reese Witherspoon at the latter’s book launch in London last weekCredit: Instagram
Reese couldn’t hide her admiration for the former Corrie star – potentially lining her up for Hollywood dominationCredit: Instagram
It might be a big leap – and a few thousand air miles from Brentwood – but Hollywood’s never looked closer for the TV actress and her reality star-turned-presenter husband.
As insiders tell The Sun, timing is everything.
Now that Michelle’s found herself in the good graces of one of showbiz’s biggest power players – Oscar winner and producer extraordinaire Reese Witherspoon, no less – she and Mark know that they have to strike while the iron’s hot.
Last week, Michelle cosied up to the Hollywood superstar in London at the launch of Reese’s new crime book Gone Before Goodbye, which she’s co-written with American author Harlan Coben.
And – having starred in the smash-hit TV adaptation of Harlan’s book Fool Me Once – sources now say that Michelle is the number one choice to lead the movie version of Reese and Harlan’s new thriller.
She already has Harlan’s vocal backing and we’re told that Reese was “really taken” with Michelle. So, the possibility of making her Hollywood dream a reality is actually in reach – and she’s not about to let it slip by.
After all, it’s been a long time coming for the Stockport-born star, who’s never hidden her ambitions when it comes to rising to the top of the acting food chain.
She first made a name for herself as Tina McIntyre on Coronation Street, having first joined the cobbles in 2008 – where she boasted she was a “proper chav and well proud of it.”
But while many TV stars embrace the job security and longevity of life on a soap, the actress wasn’t willing to rest on her laurels and be typecast as a so-called “chavvy” soap star.
So she took the then audacious move to leave the gig that made her famous in 2014 and prove herself a serious and respected performer – and she hasn’t looked back since.
As well as starring in BBC One’s Our Girl, she wowed audiences last year in Fool Me Once, with both roles earning her nominations at the National Television Awards.
She’s also starred in seven series of Sky’s Brassic, and recently finished shooting ITV crime drama The Blame.
But it’s specifically Fool Me Once that has opened the door to a raft of opportunities for the 38-year-old.
Released at the very end of 2023, the series became one of Netflix’s most watched TV shows of 2024 – with more than 107 million people streaming it worldwide in the first 90 days.
While she’s long been a household name in the UK, Michelle was introduced to a US audience, upping her prospects of translating that to a transatlantic career.
‘Truly authentic’
But make no mistake – showbiz isn’t based on pure talent alone. It’s also based on knowing the right people, and having Harlan’s backing and now Reese’s support might just be key.
Harlan, for his part, hasn’t held back in heaping praise on Michelle, saying last year that he’d be keen to work with her again. The famed author said: “If we could get Michelle, we’d love to get Michelle.”
He added that she’s “truly authentic”, telling reporters: “I think what Michelle has, besides tremendous talent and all the other stuff, is a genuine authenticity.
“I think the audience loves her, people want to follow her life because they sense that there’s a kindness and a gentleness.”
As they have worked so closely on their book over the past year, Harlan’s opinion means a great deal to the Big Little Lies star. So, if he vouches for Michelle, Reese isn’t going to dismiss the endorsement.
Michelle pictured with Reese and legendary crime writer Harlan Coben, who’s become one of her biggest supportersCredit: Instagram/michkeegan
The star with her husband Mark Wright in 2022Credit: PA
The pair welcomed their baby daughter, Palma, in March this yearCredit: Instagram
A source said: “Harlan has been singing Michelle’s praises to Reese and she was keen to meet her. They got on really well and it was clear Reese was really taken with Michelle.
“The plan is to turn the book into a film and Michelle is their first choice to take on the role of the lead character, Maggie McCabe.
“She is a combat surgeon and Michelle previously played an Army medic in Our Girl on the BBC, so it’s a role they know she could take on with style.
“It’s early days but Harlan and Reese think Michelle is tailor-made for this role and would love her to come on board when the time is right.”
The big Reese
By all accounts, having Reese’s backing is huge. Not only is she a massively successful actress in her own right, but she’s also dedicated her more recent career to championing female-led projects, and elevating actresses via her production company Hello Sunshine.
Under that umbrella, anything she’s touched has turned to gold – including series like The Morning Show, Big Little Lies and Little Fires Everywhere.
At this point, every Hollywood director and actor is begging to work with Reese, so there’s no denying that, if Michelle stays close, she’d have access to the upper echelons of Hollywood.
And, as mentioned, timing really is key. A brief glance at her home life suggests that Michelle’s feeling more stable and settled in her personal life than ever before – which will really help any big career move.
After marrying husband Mark in 2015, the couple mutually supported each other’s career goals from the offing.
Michelle proved her post-Corrie acting chops at Georgie Lane on BBC’s Our GirlCredit: BBC
She then found global stardom last year after starring in Netflix’s smash-hit series Fool Me OnceCredit: Netflix
She’ll next be seen in the ITV crime thriller series The BlameCredit: Click News and Media
While Michelle spent long periods of time away from the UK while filming Our Girl – a series that took her to countries including Malaysia and South Africa for months at a time – Mark actually moved to LA in 2017 after winning his “dream role” for entertainment show E! Extra.
Michelle visited him regularly, but she was unable to make a permanent move thanks to her own work commitments.
Then, in 2019, a homesick Mark announced he was returning to the UK as it made him “sad and lonely” being so far away from his wife, friends and family.
In 2022, the pair were separated once more, after Michelle flew to Australia to shoot the BBC’s Ten Pound Poms, while her husband stayed in the UK.
But since then, they’ve been inseparable. They’ve also realigned their priorities – after welcoming their longed-for daughter Palma in March.
The three now live together in Mark and Michelle’s dream home – the £3.5m Essex mansion they painstakingly built themselves over three years.
Family matters
After fielding so many whispers in the past over when exactly they would start their family, there’s no denying that the issue of parenthood weighed heavily on the pair in the past, even as they fulfilled their career ambitions on opposite sides of the globe.
Now that she’s actually become a mum, there’s less pressure on Michelle’s shoulders to tick that box before it’s too late.
So, now that they’ve become parents – and Michelle’s enjoyed some much-needed time off since welcoming Palma – they are working as a team.
And central to Michelle’s ability to juggle being a devoted mum and also a successful Hollywood actress is Mark’s overriding support.
While he himself has always had ambitions of his own, he’s also made it clear that his family comes first.
Earlier this year, sources revealed that Mark had “made a promise to Michelle that for the foreseeable future he’s very happy to do things on her terms,” adding: “It’s Michelle’s career that’s taking priority, and he wants to take a back seat and ensure that she gets everything she wants out of life. He’s got a lot of business investments and ventures that he can run from home.”
Now, sources say, Mark’s happy to let his presenting career take a backseat and keep things ticking along at home, so that Michelle can make her mark on the big screen.
Palma’s long-awaited arrival in March completed the familyCredit: Instagram
Mark’s since made it clear to Michelle that he’s happy to prioritise their daughter – and Michelle’s career – over his ownCredit: BackGrid
Mark, pictured with E! presenter Mario Lopez, relocated to LA in 2017 for a job on US TVCredit: Getty – Contributor
At this point, there’s no suggestion that the couple are eyeing up a serious, permanent move to the States. But while Palma is still young and portable, there’s no reason why they all can’t make a temporary move together across the pond.
With Mark’s backing, Michelle apparently feels stronger than ever to take every opportunity going.
We’re told: “Mark is Michelle’s rock, and he could not be more proud of her.
Mark has made it clear to Michelle that he will support her in any role she takes on
Anonymous insider
“She is so humble and down to earth, she just takes things as it comes. But that doesn’t mean that, if the right opportunity came up, that she wouldn’t work in the US or around the world for a shorter period of time.
“Both of them really champion each other’s dreams and Mark has made it clear to Michelle that he will support her in any role she takes on. They’re a really strong family unit.”
What’s more, Mark may have left LA because he was homesick, but he was always open about loving the LA lifestyle, and did make friends and solid connections during his time there.
He also recently posted a photo of himself renewing his US visa at the American Embassy – proving he’s more than willing to revisit his former turf.
So, there’s every suggestion that the pair will welcome a prolonged visit to Los Angeles, and be welcomed back with open arms.
It’s worth noting that, despite being self-confessed home bodies, both Mark and Michelle’s security on home soil was seriously rocked earlier this year, after they were subjected to a dramatic break-in – while Michelle was heavily pregnant.
A gang of four masked intruders broke into their Essex mansion – forcing the pair to lock themselves in the bedroom.
Thankfully, their high-tech security system alerted them early to the intrusion, and also sounded the alarm. But unsurprisingly, Mark and Michelle were both reportedly left “very shaken up” by the experience, and feeling unsafe.
Mark and Michelle were devastated after thieves tried to break into their Essex mansion – while they were inside – earlier this yearCredit: Instagram
Mark’s parents – Carol and Mark Sr – live close by and area always on hand to help with PalmaCredit: Instagram
Michelle on a recent family holiday to SpainCredit: Instagram
In an instant, sources said at the time, “they went from being in their little bubble of happiness as they prepared for a new baby, to having their world turned upside down”.
Since then, they’ve doubled their security, and now feel happier and safer at home with Palma in tow.
But still, despite being committed to their home life, their harrowing experience might just have been a sign to them that Essex isn’t the be all and end all.
Yes, they’ll always return to Mark’s home county – where all his tight-knit family are based – but Hollywood could be a very viable temporary option… and a place that they could repeatedly come back to when the job calls for it.
Our ambitious girl
Michelle herself has spoken about her ambitions – and breaking through the barriers placed on soap stars.
Speaking to Grazia earlier this year, she said: “There will always be snobbery, but soap actors work so fast, with different directors and pages of scripts to learn.
“I may not have gone to drama school but Coronation Street was my training ground.”
There might be those barriers to entry, but if anyone’s primed to prove her critics wrong, it’s Michelle – as she’s done so many times before.
What’s more, she only has to look at the soap stars-turned Hollywood heavyweights who’ve come before her to know that the transition is possible.
You can’t just expect things to come to you
Michelle Keegan
Just look at Margot Robbie, who starred on the Australian soap Neighbours before making it big in Tinseltown, or Jude Law, who got his big break on the short-lived ITV soap Families long before he became a Hollywood superstar.
As Michelle told Grazia in the same interview earlier this year, she knows that she has to fight for what she wants.
“There’s an element of being in the right place at the right time,” she said. “But you have to work hard as well. You can’t just expect things to come to you.”
Back in her soap days as Tina McIntyre on Coronation Street – pictured in 2010Credit: Rex
She’s definitely upped the glam factor since leaving the cobbles behind in 2014Credit: Getty
Her star power at Cannes earlier this year proved she’s ready for the bright lights of HollywoodCredit: AFP
With that in mind, insiders say it’s a question of when – not if – Michelle takes the bull by the horns and elevates herself to the big screen.
Not only does she have Hollywood whisperer Reese on her side, but she’s got Mark’s support every step of the way – plus the acting chops and unbridled ambition to take her to the very top.
She may always be Our Girl, but she’s more than ready to become Hollywood’s darling.
