15 July 2023 , 21:21
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Former EastEnders star Zack Morris, who starred as loveable Keegan Butcher-Baker, has addressed his exit from the BBC soap and explained why he "needed to leave".
The actor waved goodbye to Albert Square after five years and reflected on his decision to leave in a recent interview where he admitted it was "not an overnight decision".
"I had the backing of my team – my UK agent and my US management. We had a lot of talks about when was the right time," the actor revealed to RTÉ.ie.
"Ultimately, EastEnders was the perfect training ground for myself. It was the perfect place for me to gain exposure in the industry, and also get a feel, essentially, for what every little part of the industry was going to be - be that working on set long hours, be that script changes, the everyday life of a working actor, dealing with the media, being in the limelight. All that stuff that’s valuable going forward."
The former EastEnders star signed up to the BBC soap when he was 17 before joining the set when he turned 18.
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Keegan left Walford to reunite with Tiffany (BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron)Zack credits the BBC soap for allowing him to do "a lot of learning" but he decided it was time to leave Albert Square for good when he was gifted with opportunities to play new characters and tell interesting stories.
"When those opportunities arise… I had to go for that, so I needed permission to leave [ EastEnders ] to be able to do that," he added.
Since leaving EastEnders, Zack has landed himself a role in a film titled Jericho Ridge in which he appears alongside Luther's Nikki Amuka-Bird.
His former EastEnders co-stars congratulated the actor as he shared a trailer for the new movie.
BBC soap star Charlie Brooks wrote: “Whoop," while Richard Blackwood added: "Well done bro.” Charlie Wernham commented: “Unreal mate.”
After filming the movie, an excited Zack revealed to his fans: “Officially wrapped on my movie ‘Jericho Ridge’! Playing ‘Monty Temple’ was such a dope experience. I can’t wait for everyone to see the finished product on the big screen."