Yahoo News This is how Shane Richie landed his EastEnders role
Shane Richie has revealed how he landed his now iconic role in EastEnders.
The actor's original stint as Alfie Moon on the BBC One soap was in 2002 until 2005, although he has since reprised the character multiple times. This includes this year's spin-off Redwater, which followed Kat and Alfie's life away from Walford and in a small Irish town.
While you probably can't imagine anyone else playing Alfie, it turns out the role did come at great personal cost to Richie.
£690k to be exact.
Speaking to The Mirror on Sunday, Richie revealed he landed his gig on Albert Square based on 'three minutes of footage' from a failed movie he made called Shoreditch; parts of which, he funded himself.
"I sort of regret making a movie called Shoreditch," he said. "I lost everything financially for it.
"We needed more money to finish it, so I ended up re-mortgaging, borrowing, selling everything I had. I went bankrupt. I managed to lift about three minutes of the footage out of the film to send as my EastEnders audition and got the job.
"So Alfie Moon cost me 690k. The most expensive casting I've ever had in my life."
We'll say. But hopefully it was worth it in the end.
Meanwhile, Kat actress Jessie Wallace has had a rocky few days, after being caught up in a bar brawl.
EastEnders airs Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays on BBC One.
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