Ben Whishaw
Ben Whishaw
Benjamin John "Ben" Whishawis an English actor. He is known for his stage role as Hamlet; his roles in the television series Nathan Barley, Criminal Justice, The Hour and London Spy; and film roles including Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, I'm Not There, Bright Star, Brideshead Revisited, Cloud Atlas, The Lobster, Suffragetteand The Danish Girl. He has also played the role of Q in the James Bond films starting with Skyfall, and was the voice of Paddington Bear in...
NationalityEnglish
ProfessionMovie Actor
Date of Birth14 October 1980
CityClifton, England
I'd like to have a go at directing.
Keats himself spoke about how Shakespeare was capable of erasing himself completely from the characters he had created. As an actor, that is what I'm trying to do.
When I finished my A-levels, I assumed I'd be able to get work as an actor. But I couldn't. I didn't get an audition. Nothing. So I thought I'd better train and then the parts would come.
I think I have a degree of confidence, but I also have terrible insecurity, like anybody does.
One of the things I find very difficult about theatre is the repetition - that something can slide away from your original intentions.
I've gone on workout regimes, but I seem to have a system that is very resistant to changing.
For me, it’s important to keep a level of anonymity,
The most amazing thing is when you find yourself watching someone in the cafe or something doing something weird. It's amazing what people do, isn't it, when you just look at them, when you take the time to look.
I am a typical Libran. I tend to see two sides of everything.
I don't have any ambition to make lots of money or win an Oscar or anything like that. It's not about that for me.
I don't think anyone can walk through the world in a state of vulnerability all the time, can they?
I wish that the arts were better supported, and you can't say that enough times, but I also believe that whatever happens, artists will keep going.
What I notice about people who are gifted in filmmaking is that they're great thinkers. They engage with big ideas and they engage with people.
I was quite a shy child - not chronically, but I tended to blend into the background.