Oscar winner Sir Ben filming on island location
CLIFF-EDGE SCENES FOR ACTING GREAT
ACTOR and Oscar winner Sir Ben Kingsley has been spotted shooting a new film on Anglesey. The Hollywood star is understood to have been in the area for Mary Harron’s new biopic movie called Dali Land, following the life of the Spanish surrealist painter, Salvador Dali.
The 77-year-old was spotted in Porthdafarch, near Trearddur Bay, shooting on the cliff edge on Thursday afternoon at around 5pm.
Kingsley will be taking on the role of Dali in his later years, with Ezra Miller, 28, portraying the impressionist in his youth.
He will star alongside Lesley Manville who will play Dali’s domineering wife, Gala, Frank Dillane as a young art enthusiast and Tim Roth who will be Dali’s right hand man, Captain Moore.
The film is reported to be set in New York and Spain in 1973, and will be told through the eyes of James (played by Dillane), a young gallery assistant who helps Dali prepare for a big show.
A large number of crew members were also seen in Porthdafarch, with several vans, motor homes and cars parked on the road near the scene.
Local resident Wynne Evans who went down to the beach on Thursday after hearing filming was taking place spotted the star on set and took several pictures of Kingsley in action.
Speaking to the Daily Post, Mr Evans said: “It was such a lovely evening I thought I’d pop out to have a look at what was going on.
“There was a load of vans, motorhomes and all kinds of vehicles parked on the side of the road and they were operating a traffic system.
“I found somewhere to park and walked over to where they were filming.
“There were quite a few crew members there on the cliffs but surprisingly few onlookers. There were so many cars parked, it was difficult to stop.”
He understood crews had returned to the area on Thursday, having filmed in the same area only a couple of weeks ago.
“Somebody had also seen them in the Amlwch or Pensarn area a couple of weeks ago,” he added.
Mr Evans said he walked along a footpath towards Trearddur Bay from the Holyhead area, where he took most of the pictures from.
“I didn’t see Ben Kingsley for a while, but then he suddenly appeared in some white robes,” he said.
“I zoomed in on one of the pictures and recognised the face straight away.
“I spoke to one of the crew. I asked him where he was from and he said something like ‘Los Angeles - but certainly not Los Anglesey.’
“I think he was a bit wary of me with my camera but the security never asked me to stop taking pictures or anything.”
He did not recognise any other famous faces filming in the area, but said he could see two crew members pointing what appeared to be leaf blowers at Kingsley as part of the set.
“I suppose it was to act as wind to get his hair blowing when they were shooting,” Mr Evans added.
“He was just standing there really, on the edge of the cliff.
“At one point, he had his arms in the air and he had his back to me and was looking out to the sea – there were quite a few crew around him when he was doing that, but I never actually heard him saying anything.
“I eventually heard them shouting ‘cut’ and there was a round of applause and then I saw Ben Kingsley walking back into a motorhome.”
It comes exactly a week after actress and model Suki Waterhouse was seen on the streets of Liverpool, shooting for the same movie.
It is not clear what her role is in the film having not officially been announced.
Dali Land is reported to have been originally scheduled for a 2020 release, with a new date yet to be confirmed.
Kingsley, born Krishna Pandit Bhanji, is best known for his starring role as Gandhi in the 1982 film for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor and BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role.
He also appeared as Itzhak Stern in Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List, receiving a nomination for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role.
In 2002, he was appointed Knight Bachelor for services to the British film industry, before being awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2010.