Sweet Smell of Success
Up close and personal with one of today's most talented actors, the up & coming, Ben Whishaw!
by Jed Medina

Theatre-trained Ben Whishaw first came onto the scene via Stoned, the semi-autobiographical film about the Rolling Stones in which he played Keith Richards. With notable appearances in Enduring Love and Layer Cake, his first big feature film role is in Tom Tykwer's Perfume, although theater goers in the UK will quickly tell you that he was already making waves when he played Hamlet at the Old Vic.

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Reports the Daily Telegraph: While at RADA, he garnered early praise - and a "most promising newcomer" award - for his lead performance in the Brit flick My Brother Tom, in which he appeared as an abused teenager who frolicked wild - and naked - in the woods with an equally messed-up girl. "I think being very thin has had a lot to do with how I've been cast, because you can be young and vulnerable, or slightly undernourished and feral and edgy, and they seem to be the two ways it's gone so far," he says with a grin.

His being such a stripling raised concerns as to whether he had the strength to last the course of a single performance, let alone an entire theatrical run of Hamlet. But Nunn is adamant that his leading man has "extraordinary stamina".

For his part, Whishaw nimbly parries the doubts.

"I think it becomes a problem if you allow it to be problem. And I can't waste energy stressing." He pauses, and then, seized by a flash of indignation, adds: "Maybe I'll discover that I'm completely incapable of projecting the lines, but what's great is that Trevor has taken a risk and that has to be a good thing. Maybe it'll be a disaster - but, hey, it's wonderful to take a risk. Isn't it?"

The plays the thing, then, and how wise of Whishaw not to overstep the modesty of fledgling success; but if he's anywhere near as electrifying on stage as he is in person, he'll be a star in his own right before the month is out, and Nunn will once again merit that old sobriquet "clever Trevor".

Conquering the Theatre: Mr. Whishaw has been compared to some of the best actors who have played the doomed Shakespearean character, including Richard Burton, Laurence Olivier and Peter O'Toole. Whishaw's performance was described by critics as "electrifying". He holds the record as the youngest Hamlet to receive critical acclaim for his performance and was nominated for it by various award-giving bodies.

This report would sum it all: "In May 2004, a spidery-limbed, hollow-cheeked unknown walked onto the stage at the Old Vic and sent electric shocks of excitement through the auditorium. Playing Hamlet, aged 23, Ben Whishaw was one of the youngest Danish princes ever to commandeer the stage at this theatre, yet some critics felt they had witnessed a performance which could rank alongside [the best].

One reviewer declared that Whishaw, "with his light, tremulous voice, painfully thin body, and the kind of cheekbones that will have adolescent girls swooning in the stalls, presents the most raw and vulnerable Hamlet I have ever seen. Fragile-fleshed and clad in a beanie-cap, the actor seemed an ideal twenty-first century Dane - a tragic hero for the iPod generation.

No one can dispute his range of acting prowess, but many are wondering how someone with a 'waif-like wiriness' of a body can generate such energy, charm and power in his performance.

"I'm not trying to be this shape, it's just the way I am," he stated in a recent interview.

Sweet Smell of Success: And that is not all. Recently released is Perfume, in which he played the lead role of Jean-Baptiste Grenouille. This highly-anticipated film, based on the novel by Patrick Suskind and directed by Tom Tykwer, is all about "an obsessive French perfumer with a highly developed olfactory sense and an all-consuming drive to capture the essence of love who eventually resorts to murder in his unrepentant quest to find the key ingredient for his recipe."

"Tom is fanatical in a Grenouille-ish kind of way. He's very obsessive, maybe even slightly manic in his approach. I've never known somebody with quite so much energy and commitment. It really takes my breath away. We talked all the time – morning, noon and night. I've never worked with somebody who has such a cinematic sort of vision. This is epic; it makes him very exciting to work with. I absolutely adore him,” says Whishaw of his German director.

This highly-acclaimed Novel by Suskind was the subject of much speculation: from filmmakers who were reportedly interested in making it into a movie, to a list of actors who were supposedly being eyed to play the lead character.

But it was this ‘unknown’ waif-thin young British lad who finally got it.

' I auditioned for it just after Hamlet had finished, and they wanted to go with it in the winter of that year (2005). They were banking on the director enlisting a big star to do it. Because, suddenly, the director decided he wanted some unknown guy from England, it kind of delayed the whole thing.”

Whishaw knew of the book “through friends, who told me I had to read it because it was amazing”. Those friends may not recognize in his performance the physical manifestation of Grenouille’s moral hideousness. “There are some quite big changes, just in terms of the whole tone of the piece. Maybe they’re good, maybe they’re not. I don’t know. There were so many questions about how you try to make that character accessible to an audience. In the book, he’s a hunchback with a gammy leg. We’ve gone for something a bit more neutral.”

Perfume, eventually became one of the most successful German movies of all time, although it garnered both positive and negative reviews from critics.

I’m Not There, The Movie: His next role will be as one of seven Bob Dylan’s in Todd Haynes's biopic I'm Not There. It's a plum role for someone who is still relatively unknown on the other side of the Atlantic. The project will involve actors, not all of them male, at least one of them black, but all interpreting the venerable Minnesotan troubadour during several stages of his brilliant career.

"The only thing I know about this role for sure is that I'll be the least famous Dylan."

Something is going on but you don't know what it is, do you, Mr. Whishaw?

"I have to stand in front of a white background and declaim. The character I play represents Dylan when he started to write less social protest songs and make more surreal lyrics. I guess around that time he was taking a lot of speed and Todd's idea is that the character blends Bob Dylan and the poet Arthur Rimbaud, who obviously influenced Dylan a lot around that time."

Ben’s Latest: Stuart Kemp’s report in London says it all: "Ben Whishaw, who starred in "Perfume: The Story of a Murderer," is sniffing out a lead role in writer-director Jane Campion's "Bright Star," the film's team said Wednesday. Whishaw is in final negotiations to star as poet John Keats in the period romance drama for Pathe International.

"Star" focuses on the three-year romance between 19th century poet Keats and Fanny Brawne, to be played by Abbie Cornish. The poet's romance was cut short by Keats' untimely death at age 25. Whishaw also stars as one of the lead in "Brideshead Revisited," alongside Hayley Atwell and Matthew Goode.

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This tMF profile of Ben Whishaw is written by Jed Medina and Kat Sydenham with reference to various sources on the net, including Wikipedia, his IMDB Page, his RADA profile, as well as a profile from his agent, Hamilton Hodell.

Comments (6)

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My Brother Tom
written by Lukas Jamieson, July 12, 2007

There was a film made by Dom Rotheroe called My Brother Tom, and it's unforgettable, you need to add it in his profile, coz Ben did an amazing job in his role.

The director made this statement of the film:

“MY BROTHER TOM is about obsessive love and the sacrifices it can lead to,” says director Dom Rotheroe. “When Ali Hilder, my co-writer, first told me the basic story I knew I had to turn it into a film. The savagery, tenderness and power of the love story wouldn't leave my head and Tom and Jessica were characters I knew I'd want to be with for the next few years.”

“I've always been drawn to obsession and extremity and the tale of these two teenagers was stuffed with both. I wanted to explore their attempts to overcome their pain together, the tragedy and sacrifice of such bonding when one changes and the other can't, but also the cathartic redemption of intense passion.”

“For me it was always a film in close-up. I didn't want to step back and observe so much, but to get involved and intimate which is why I opted to shoot it on handheld DV. This allowed us to physically enter the action more, to improvise more with camera and performance, and to give the actors more time to inhabit the role on camera by running scenes in their entirety.”

“Above all, I've been aiming to make a film that is raw and emotional, something like the documentaries I made on Hi-8 in places like Sarajevo - something that communicates ideas by putting the audience up close to the characters and not pulling punches. The fundamental thing in MY BROTHER TOM has been to make the central relationship as vital and involving as possible.”

more here! My Brother Tom

Not being an Aristocrat?
written by Janell Edmunds, July 14, 2007

I happen to read this from one of our papers, an online edition has this here:

When news broke that the coveted role of Sebastian Flyte in the new £20m film of Brideshead Revisited had gone to Ben Whishaw, purists were startled. How could a working-class, dark-haired actor play the embodiment of aristocratic blond privilege?

Whishaw grew up in Hitchin, Bedfordshire. He didn't go to boarding school. His father works in IT, his mother sells cosmetics at John Lewis. By his own admission he knows very little about the aristocratic world. Primarily known as a theatre actor, he's as far from a foppish Hugh Grant type as you could be. But actually his casting in Brideshead makes perfect sense. No one plays damaged better than Whishaw.

For those of us who watched the original TV series, Sebastian is bathed in a nostalgic light. We tend to remember the tea parties and picnics, the silk shirts and the teddy bear Aloysius. But if you go back to the original Evelyn Waugh novel, it's clear that Sebastian is a petulant, wayward alcoholic - however adorable.

One senses that Whishaw will get the balance between light and dark exactly right. On stage he's carved out a brilliant reputation for playing doomed youths (Hamlet, Konstantin in The Seagull, a feral gang leader in Philip Ridley's apocalyptic Mercury Fur). And yet he can also be painfully, absurdly funny. No wonder some of the hottest directors are queuing up to work with him.

He may not be aristocratic, but being the good actor that he is- I think he'll do just fine, add his own style and flavour to the role, so he'll do well, indeed.

Ben's profile is one of our most popular!
written by Admin, July 14, 2007

Hi guys!

Thanks for the additional info/links. Ben's profile page is one of the most popular we have at tMF. In fact, its currently the 2nd most read profile, after Gaspard Ulliel.

I think we need more and more updates, as many people seem to admire this guy. I really am a big fan, and hopefully there will be a chance for us to do an interview, perhaps in the near future.

I'm definitely add more info in the next few days, and in due time, we'll have to create separate sections of these awesome actors!

Keep it going guys! Once this article reaches a certain no. of pages views, it would not be possible to just have it as an item but a section!

Cheers!
Jed

Matthew's take on Ben!
written by Admin, July 14, 2007

Janell, that article is sooo awesome. I particularly like this part:

Anyone who's seen him on stage knows that Whishaw is a very physical actor. Dressed today in black T-shirt and jeans, he constantly runs his hands through his hair. To emphasise a point, he pulls his T-shirt wildly out of shape, hugging his thin body. He has exquisite manners, apologising as he tries to bolt his lunch and answer questions at the same time. But just occasionally you catch him looking at you with amused eyes. There's quite a lot going on behind that beautiful mask.

It is his grit that stops Whishaw's beauty ever becoming boring. Matthew Goode, who is playing Charles Ryder opposite him in Brideshead, recently admitted he would have loved to play Sebastian, but added, "I wasn't pretty enough. They gave it to Ben because when the camera settles on him you just gasp at his beauty. I mean, I have a girlfriend and all, but still..."

We're also preparing Matthew's profile soon, and in the meantime, I would love to get to read more of Ben!

Here's the link to that article:
Independent Interview

i love you ben
written by stéphy !!!!, June 03, 2008

ben i'm franch and i love UUUUUUUUUUUUUUU !!!!
you're so sweet so pretty so irresistible !!!!!!!


haaaaaaa ich liebe dich für IMER !!!!

I can see you tomorow it's good hey !!!!

ms
written by caz hollings, July 12, 2008

watched ben in crimmal justice. thought you were absolutley amazing. all the best ben

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