Junade Khan, who recently debuted on Coronation Street as Idris Nazir, nearly quit acting before landing the role. The 44-year-old actor had been working as a bus driver for eight years while taking occasional acting jobs, and was on the verge of giving up his dream.
From bus driver to soap star
Khan told the Mirror that he had sent his agent an email last year saying he wanted to quit. "I'd been a bus driver for eight years, doing little pieces of acting and it got to the point that I'd done so many self-tapes that I just didn't want to do it anymore," he said. "I've got faith, I go to church and I pray and I always believe. But, if I'm honest, even my faith was getting a bit weak. I started to think that maybe this was it."
His agent refused to accept his resignation. "He told me that he believed in me and to just keep going. If it wasn't for him, I would definitely have given up," Khan added. He quit his bus driving job in March after receiving the offer from Coronation Street.
A second chance on the cobbles
Idris Nazir is the cousin of long-standing character Alya Nazir and the new love interest of Leanne Battersby. The role marks Khan's second appearance on the soap; he previously played Saj, a short-term boyfriend of Rosie Webster, for two episodes in September 2008.
Nine years ago, Khan screen-tested for the role of solicitor Imran Habeeb, which ultimately went to Charlie De Melo. "I was really gutted that I didn't get it," he recalled. "I was working in a call centre at the time; I absolutely hated it. I'd wake up in the morning literally feeling physically sick and I was desperate for a way out. My wife was pregnant and I thought the Coronation Street job was going to sort us out."
Children's rising stardom
While Khan struggled to build his acting career, his children were finding success. His daughter Alara-Star, now eight, appeared in a TV advert for Orange in Slovakia when she was just two. She has since been in The Serial Killer's Wife, the upcoming Ridley Scott film The Dog Stars with Jacob Elordi, and the Angelina Jolie movie Anxious People, even appearing on the film's poster.
His five-year-old son Pacino has appeared in a Marvel film and the TV series Waffle the Wonder Dog. Khan said: "My kids were starting to get acting jobs. They were becoming successful. If I'm honest, I thought it was time to quit. It's so surreal that we all got these jobs almost at the same time. I'm very proud of them."
Before joining Coronation Street, his children teased him: "They were like, 'Daddy, are you really an actor? We thought you were an actor Daddy, but we're the ones getting all the jobs!'" Laughing, he added: "It's nice for them to see me on screen, although they do give me tips - 'Daddy, that's over-acting, you need to be more subtle!'"
From football to acting
Khan became interested in acting at age 18 after an injury ended his football aspirations. Growing up in Yorkshire, he played for Sheffield United but suffered two major injuries: a snapped Achilles ligament and a back injury. When he returned for a trial, he was rejected.
He turned to acting, studying at London's East 15 acting school. His first role came in 2007, at age 25, in the Asian comedy series My Life as a Popat. "It was my first audition and I got the job. I thought: 'oh, this is easy man, it's a piece of cake!'" Khan laughs.
Now, with his role as Idris Nazir, Khan feels a sense of destiny. He recalled buying a Coronation Street magnet after his failed screen test for Imran Habeeb and placing it on his fridge. "It was only after I did my screen test for Idris that I remembered the magnet and it all came flooding back. It was like a full-circle moment, as if it was meant to be."
