Ben Whishaw: ‘Maybe Hugh Grant and I could fight in Bridget Jones: The Musical’
Do you still think you would be working in a bookshop or as a painter if you hadn’t made it as an actor? EtienneJI think I’ve got too much energy to work in a bookshop. But I’ve never worked in one. Maybe it is really energetic. I loved painting up to my early 20s, but completely dropped it. When I’m old, or no one wants to give me an acting job, I’m going to pick it up again, because it’s something I still love.
Your grandad was a British spy in the German army who changed his name from Stellmacher. Can I set you up with a scriptwriter and your next role? jesserileyThat is true. He was a spy. He had a Ukrainian mother and a German father. We don’t know how he got to work as a spy for the British. After the war, he changed his name to Whishaw. It’s something I’m really interested in. My Auntie Ingrid and I are trying to research it, but we keep coming up against dead ends. If we could find a proper story, I’d be very interested. Spies fascinate me and I’m fascinated by my grandad. He was a mysterious and forbidding man.
What was the goriest operation you had to perform in This Is Going to Hurt? Did the series change your perception of the NHS?Dantadanta and CarterPThere was a really gory scene where we had to deliver a baby from a dead woman. It was horrendous, even in a pretend way. She came back to life when another doctor put his hand up inside her ribcage and massaged her heart. Even I couldn’t watch that bit. The series did change my perspective. I had to really think about what it’s like to work for the NHS. It’s easy to forget the people who do are human. They are fragile, exhausted and have private lives, but we conveniently forget that. I so wish we would fund it properly, but I don’t know what we have to do to make the government wake up.
How did you get into acting and what is your favourite of the films you have made? Disneylover12345I got into acting when I was a child. I always loved dressing up and that didn’t ever stop. I got into it more seriously as a teenager when my dad took me to a youth theatre, near to where we lived. It was run by a very brilliant man, who treated us like adults. We did lots of amazing, experimental and weird productions. I fell in love and I realised maybe it could be my life. And the favourite film I’ve been in is Paddington 2, because it’s so popular.
I saw Women Talking last year and it was my favourite film of the year. What was your experience on set with a predominantly female cast? What was distinct about Sarah Polley’s directorial style? sophiarubinoIt was wonderful to work with that group of people. They were all great fun, no egos, and we were an ensemble, which is rare on a film set. Normally, you go back to your trailer, but we spent every day in a big room together. Sarah says it was happenstance, but I think it was intentional. She is sensitive and aware; she doesn’t want friction or stress. She listens, asks questions and watches everything like a hawk.
What animal did you study at
drama school? Please say it was a bear! WeirdDugA horse. I spent hours watching this horse in a field in my village and fell in love with it. Most people at drama school hated the exercise, but I loved it.
Which Hugh Grant would you rather fight again? The one from A Very English Scandal or the one from Paddington 2? djshugggThe Hugh in English Scandal is very complex, so definitely the Hugh in Paddington 2. His musical sequence at the end is so great. Maybe we could meet again in a musical. I’m surprised no one has done Bridget Jones: The Musical. Surely that must be in the works?
I heard you sing in Mojo at the Harold Pinter theatre in 2013. Your voice is rich and melodic – I was stunned! Do you secretly yearn to take a big musical lead?ard1970I could only sing as that character, for some reason. I really can’t sing. I wish I could. I see other actors who are amazing singers, but I’m not, sadly. That character somehow gave me access to a voice I don’t actually have.
I was a close friend of your school drama teacher, Nessa Brown. She was so proud of you and now I’m proud on her behalf. What are your memories of her? JaneCQThat’s a lovely question. Vanessa was a very special person, for lots of reasons. She was astoundingly honest; brutally honest, at times. I was 16 and we were doing a play. Halfway through the rehearsal, she said: “Oh, stop acting!” She wasn’t frightened to push you, but it was always with love and intelligence. She was a real rebel spirit. We kept in regular contact. I really miss her.
If Paddingtonwere promoted to Q, what gadgets would he invent for
James Bond? TopTramp and croddOh God, I hate these kinds of questions because I’m not a gadget person. A bulletproof duffel coat and exploding marmalade sandwiches sounds about right!
I saw your Brutus at the Bridge theatre. You were magnetic and lucid; a privilege to watch. As Richard II, your deposition speech took my breath away. What is the key to Shakespeare? Will you return to the theatre? Which Shakespeare would you do next? Hermione, KeepRunning, aquietanon and JustsitThe key to Shakespeare is not to be afraid of it. What made Shakespeare revolutionary is that he allowed real rhythms of speech to come through within the iambic pentameter. Characters in Hamlet forget what they are saying, or change their minds, just like real people. It should sound as natural as someone chatting to you. It’s poetry, but natural and everyday. I’m not planning to do any more stage work. I don’t think there are any more Shakespeares I’d be good at, unfortunately.
How do you immerse yourself so completely in such different roles? milinovakI love the challenge of how you have to launch off one into another. You can go from Paddington Bear to Shakespeare to TV comedy. Someone told me a story about Helen Mirren playing Cleopatra in Antony and Cleopatra. Apparently, before she’d go on stage to play this beautiful queen, she’d go into this alter ego of a fish-and-chip seller from the East End. She needed to launch from the opposite to balance out. I really understand how you need these different energies. Once you’ve done one kind of role, you need to go in the opposite direction.
What is the best advice you have been given? carolodonovan76In my late 20s, I did a film with Jane Campion [Bright Star]. She could tell I was a people pleaser and made it clear that wasn’t going be helpful on this particular project. She gave me the space to not be like that. It’s not helpful to feel like you have to please all the time. You have to find something deeper within yourself than a wish to be liked, or to keep the peace. That’s something I’m still very interested in.
The Guardian has called you “Britain’s most likable actor”. Are you? LaurenceNI never think of myself as likable. I don’t think of the characters I’ve played as likable. They are kind of messy. You can’t aim to be likable. Maybe I’m just likable because I’m Paddington. Who doesn’t like him?
• Women Talking is in UK cinemas now