Line of Duty star Shalom Brune-Franklin ‘destined for fame’ after leaving the UK

Everyone’s talking about police drama Line of Duty.

But as DI Steve Arnott ­pops painkillers like Smarties and ­gaffer Ted Hastings faces yet more battles with his superiors, thank heavens for level-headed DC Chloe Bishop.

AC-12’s newest recruit appears to be just the reliable copper the team needs – and like DC Bishop, the actress who plays her knows a thing or two about hard graft.

Shalom Brune-Franklin, 26, is one of Britain’s rising stars.

Last year she starred alongside Hugh Laurie in political thriller, Roadkill.

And in 2017, she worked on BBC drama Our Girl and became such good pals with co-star Michelle Keegan that the pair would squeeze in manicures between takes.

But after leaving Britain at the age of 14 for an altogether different life, Shalom doesn’t take ­success for granted.

In an exclusive chat, her uncle Jim Franklin, 50, reveals how the family’s gamble for a better life in Australia paid off, despite a little hardship along the way.

He also told how her proud relatives rushed to catch up on Line of Duty after she landed the role in the hit BBC drama.

“We binged the first five series all in one go when we found out Shalom was going to be in it,” Jim said.

“She’s done so well for herself and keeps us updated on everything that is going on.

“It’s great she’s getting the recognition.”

As a child, sporty Shalom ­never ­considered a ­career in acting. Instead, she was ­captain of her school’s netball and basketball teams and had a genuine shot at competing as an 800m runner at the 2012 London Olympics.

But that all went out of the window when her she joined her father Phil Franklin, mother Ingrid Brune and younger brother Siam to move from their Hertfordshire council ­estate to Mullaloo, near Perth, in Western Australia.

Jim, whose brother is Shalom’s dad, Phil, said: “They wanted to give the kids a better standard of life.
They weren’t escaping ­poverty, but you can earn so much more over there.

“The kids had their friends and so on back here. It was daunting for them but they flourished and it’s amazing to see what they achieved in such a short time.

“It was difficult because my brother had to go in advance of the family, but once he ­established work and a sponsor, the family followed and never looked back.”

Phil, who worked as an electrical engineer for a wholesaler in the UK, landed on his feet after retraining as a chef.

He got a job cooking for a big mining company, while Mauritian Ingrid became a successful female bodybuilder.

And in the leafy environs of Ocean Reef Senior High School, Shalom ditched her maths classes for drama and ­realised she had a new passion in life.

Despite winning a school award for drama, she ­applied to study journalism at university – yet an administrator blunder meant she was wrongly classed as an overseas student and landed with fees she could not afford.

As a result, she went on to audition for the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts – and seriously impressed drama teacher Chris Edmunds, who singled her out of 900 applicants.

He said: “I ­remember thinking she was fearless and would be an enormous pleasure to train.”

The upshot? Shalom was ­offered one of 18 coveted places on the course and worked hard to hone her talent.

Andrew Lewis, who taught Shalom for three years, said: “Everyone who has auditioned with her always talks about how she lit up the room with a positive outlook and life force.

“She was absolutely fantastic at ­garnering a lot of interest before she even left.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if it happens in America soon, either.”

After her last college production, playing Lady Macbeth in the Shakespeare tragedy, she was announced as the winner of a special award set up by WAAPA graduate and Greatest Showman star Hugh Jackman.

The funding – worth more than £8,000 – allowed her to pay for extra training and paved the way for a blossoming career.

One of her earliest screen roles was as an Irish nurse in a 2016 Australian drama series called Doctor Doctor.

In 2017 she landed her first role in the UK, after returning to the country to pursue other work.

She starred as an ISIS bride in Channel 4 drama, The State. That same year she trended on Twitter after being cast as Private Maisie Richards in the hit BBC drama Our Girl.

She also went on to star in Australian drama Bad Mothers, BBC political thriller Roadkill and landed a plum role in the big budget Netflix fantasy drama, Cursed.

Shalom, who is rumoured to be dating an Australian TV producer, splits her time between England and Australia – where she spent lockdown.

There she has recently been filming The Tourist, alongside Fifty Shades of Grey star Jamie Dornan.

The actress first appeared as Line of Duty’s DC Bishop last month. And within minutes, fans were speculating about the character’s background and motives.

Some even suggested she is the daughter of fallen DCI Tony Gates, who took his own life in series one by walking into the path of a lorry.

Her role is set to cement her success in the country she grew up in – and leave her family brimming with pride.

But stardom is alien to down-to-earth Shalom.

She has previously told how she was “freaking out” like a crazed superfan as she filmed alongside Line of Duty regulars such as Adrian Dunbar and Martin Compston.

Shalom said: “I was working with all these amazing actors that I love. I had imposter syndrome.

“It was weird. I still haven’t got over it. I still feel like a fangirl.”

In another interview Shalom said: “I’m such an unlikely suspect in this industry.

“But watching my parents has been my biggest inspiration.”

She added: “They decided they’d rather struggle by the sea than struggle in a council flat, so they picked their lives up and reinvented themselves as people.

“My parents lead by example with hard work.”

Viewers will have to wait and see whether DC Bishop really is the squeaky-clean copper that she appears to be.

But one thing’s for sure – this is just the beginning for Shalom Brune-Franklin.

Originally from https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/line-duty-star-shalom-brune-23889637