Almost a year on from his final episode as Ben Mitchell in EastEnders, Max Bowden’s life has changed a lot.

His character left Albert Square after being sentenced to prison. Because Ben committed the crime while in America, he is behind bars overseas.

After spending time adjusting to life outside of the soapland bubble, Max, who is father to a young boy, is feeling content.

‘I kind of live quite a boring life to be honest these days!’, he laughed as we chatted recently.

‘I’m just content at home. I love telly, I love watching films, my home is my safe space with my nan. Whenever I’m home, we’ll sit and we’ll gossip for hours about you know, whatever’s going on in her life. She’s always got a story!’.

Max is currently performing in the production of Birdsong, but will soon start rehearsals for the world premier of a new musical, Midnight Cowboy.

‘It’s based on the 1969 film Midnight Cowboy and the novel of 1965, I believe. And it’s a brilliant tale of survival, and sort of, camaraderie and friendship amongst sort of poverty’, he explained as he told me about the show and how his new role came about.

‘It was sort of out of nowhere, really. I was on the road, I think I was in Liverpool with Birdsong, which I’m still currently doing. And I had an email about going in for a meeting, regarding a new project.

‘And it was sort of a sort of cloak and dagger. And then I met with one of the producers, in a quaint little studio in sort of East Central London. I sang one of the songs and read one of the scenes, and then we just sort of opened a dialogue about it. That was the start of this new journey, I guess. I was familiar with the film, and Dustin Hoffman’s one of my favourite actors.

‘So, having the chance to sort of replicate and grow on an already iconic role was just too attractive not to take on. We start rehearsals Monday, while Birdsong is still going on. So I’ve got sort of a week crossover, which is a bit strange, I’ve never had never had that in my career. So, it’s gonna be different.’

Reflecting on the difference between life as a theatre performer and acting in a TV show, Max said:

‘I think theatre’s such a different gig, because, obviously, you finish late at night. Eating late at night is a bit of a weird one because it takes a while to switch off, actually. And then I’ll sort of go to bed and wake up about half ten, eleven to sort of start the day. I go to the gym, I try and work out and go for walks as much as possible just to just to keep myself more active.

‘Working evenings is such a different atmosphere. You don’t really see anyone, you know? Because everyone else is working in the day. So it could be quite lonely, but, there’s no better place, no more exhilarating place than a theatre stage.’

He added: ‘I suppose the similarities lie with the basic foundations of theatre and art is that it’s about storytelling. I think the difference with certainly a fast moving drama like EastEnders is that everything is slightly more reliant on instinct because you haven’t got as much preparation time and rehearsal.

‘But at the core, it’s just remaining, you know, the fundamental premises about telling the story. And I think with theatre, the luxury that you have is rehearsal and lots of repetition.

‘So certainly, I found that on my most recent work. But I suppose my craft, if you like, changes slightly when it comes to theatre just because I like to be slightly stricter on script and sticking to book and making sure that I’m following the journey regimented.’

Playing the son of Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden), Max spent a huge portion of his life in the public eye. After saying goodbye to Ben and the BBC One soap, he has spent the past year on what he calls a ‘real journey of self-discovery’.

‘I was so busy during that time, I think the time away has given me the chance to focus on myself and the things that weren’t maybe necessarily right in my life, things that I wasn’t happy with myself. I’ve been able to sort of navigate a way around them and learnt from them.

‘That’s what the last year has done. I think being on the road, seeing different parts of the country, has been very therapeutic because you get to sort of be at one with the whole demographic of the UK. Whereas I was sort of in my in my box and content for a while, you know. It’s been liberating.’

Despite no longer being part of the EastEnders cast, Max still finds the time to catch up on the soap.

With his nan, of course.

‘I watched it last night, funnily enough. Me and my nan watched it, and I spoke to a few of the people, I spoke to Jessie [Wallace] and Steve [McFadden] last night, I just said that it’s been amazing. I think Chris did a phenomenal job with the with the live and the fallout of that.’