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Hotel Babylon
Starts Thursday 19 January at 9.00pm on ´óÏó´«Ã½ ONE
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Michael Obiora plays Ben Trueman, Receptionist
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Michael Obiora's girlfriend noticed some distinct changes to his character during the filming of Hotel Babylon!
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"Playing the gay character of Ben really brought out my feminine side and my girlfriend really liked it," he declares. "She said I smiled a lot more and in particular gesticulated and used my hands more when I spoke, as well as being more considerate to her, so she really liked my camp side," he laughs.
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"She also thinks I take more time over my appearance now, which I wasn't aware of - which is really interesting.
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"The whole show is heightened in every sense and I must admit I was tempted to really 'Will and Grace' it, but I had to pull back from totally camping it up.
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"It is, in a sense, a completely fresh approach to drama because it isn't like anything I've seen before, certainly on British television – it isn't just another cop show or hospital drama – it lets you interact with the staff and guests of a luxury hotel and get inside their lives," he explains.
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Ben gets on with most of his colleagues, but finds his ultimate partner in crime when Anna joins the team.
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"He is a great character to play and has a lot of fun on reception, particularly when Anna arrives on the scene. He really respects Anna's bitchy side and as a gay man he can totally appreciate where she is coming from, her sense of glamour and her ambitions to be rich and adored."
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Michael's love of acting began early when he landed a role in the much loved children's drama, Grange Hill.
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"I have been acting now for 12 years, since I was seven, and working professionally from the age of nine when I got a part in Grange Hill as Max Abasi, who played the tuba in the school band - he was a real geek - and I ended up there for five years."
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But it was watching Michael Jackson's Bad world tour that really cemented his love for performance.
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"I was three years old and I remember asking my mum why Michael Jackson had to jump over a fence to get away from all the people chasing him – they were fans – and Mum said he does something that everyone likes… which stuck in my head," he explains.
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"I remember going to Nigeria, where my family come from, and I jumped at the chance to perform on stage. Afterwards, the villagers pressed money upon my skin, which stuck to me, and my mum immediately sent me to drama school when I got back to the UK."
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Stints in theatre followed at the Royal Court, the Chelsea Theatre, Soho Theatre and, most recently, his role in the critically-acclaimed West End run of Elmina's Kitchen.
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