Himesh Patel exceeded his own expectations in Hollywood

Himesh Patel didn't have "high expectations" before making the switch to Hollywood.

The 33-year-old actor quit the UK for Hollywood after spending almost a decade on the British soap 'EastEnders' - but Himesh didn't know what to expect before making the move.

The 'Yesterday' star told The Independent: "I didn’t necessarily leave 'EastEnders' with any sort of intention to get to any certain level.

"I just hoped I would have a career where I’d get to jump from one interesting thing to the next, and not have nine years of 'EastEnders' seen as anything detrimental. But I was aware that there was, and perhaps still is, a certain perception of soap and the kind of actors who do soap, especially the kind of actors who do soap for a long period of time. So I didn’t really have high expectations."

Despite his recent success, Himesh continues to experience "imposter syndrome".

He said: "I think I still have slight imposter syndrome about the whole thing, because people aren’t meant to go on that journey. That’s not meant to happen.

"You’re not meant to do nine years on 'EastEnders' and then get the lead role in a Danny Boyle movie. I’m glad I’m an example that it can be done. I hope I’m not the last young actor who establishes themselves on a soap."

On the other hand, Himesh admitted that he's benefited from a certain amount of "privilege" in his life.

The actor shared: "It’s funny, I’m not necessarily posh, but there’s certainly been privilege in my life, for sure.

"I went to private school for the last three years of primary, and that was kind of where I discovered acting. So there’s definitely privilege there."