Ben is an extraordinary actor isn't he? I like his interviews - he is so thoughtful and quite deep. Have a look on this forum for some of his interviews- in one he says how playing John Keats changed his life and he missed this when the filming finished.
Concerning Whishaw: watch "Criminal Justice." It apparently was a British miniseries, recently done. Based on the Imdb, Ben completed it immediately before "Bright Star." This kid (young man, actually, just turned 30 last OCTOBER) can act! In "CJ" he portrays every emotion imaginable.
I had never heard of him until I read that he has been cast to play Keats. "Perfume - the Story of a Murderer" was the film that all the on-line articles mentioned, so as soon as it was released on dvd, I ran out and bought -- and loved it! It's a V*E*R*Y bizarre story, and Ben does not play a "nice" guy, but what impressed me the most about his performance was two things: 1. He played his character, Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, with such INTENSITY that I knew right off he could play Our Boy, and 2. Even though he played a murderer, he portrayed him in such a way that I (you) actually felt pity for him. As the dissolute aristocrat, Sebastien Flyte, in "Brideshead Revisited" he was also remarkable -- very vulnerable (as was Jean-Baptiste, now that I think about it) and loveable. When Sebastien is sick and in the hospital in Morrocco (sp?), I was confident then that he could "nail" Our Golden Boy.
It doesn't matter to me that Ben's hair is not auburn (although HOW do we actually know what colour Keats's hair was!? I've read "contemporary" accounts that range from golden brown to brown to auburn; same with his eyes [different colours, of course. Duh!] The lock of hair I saw at The House on a 1990 trip to London really looked more brown than anything else. But i suppose time, light, etc. had taken some toll. . . ).
Malia wrote:I have seen Criminal Justice and I agree with Ennis--Ben was fabulous in it. Extremely intense mini-series that, in its own right (besides Ben's performance) is excellent. Every character has depth and their own complex "reasons" for acting as they do. Ben won a BAFTA for his performance. He did say, though, that the job put an intense strain on him emotionally--it took him a while to get over it.
Ben naked: rent the dvd "Stoned." It's about the early years of the Rolling Stones, when Brian Jones (?? not sure if that was his last name) was the Big Guy, before MJagger came to the forefront of the band. Anyway, Ben plays a young Keith Richards and there's one scene where our Whishaw(/Keats?) is full-frontal naked!!. Nothing on but an opened dressing gown. . . !
I'd tell you who killed the girl in "CJ," but some folks may not appreciate me ruining the ending for them . . . !
Ennis wrote:Raphael (et. al. who may be interested in this next little tid-bit) ---
Ben naked: rent the dvd "Stoned." It's about the early years of the Rolling Stones, when Brian Jones (?? not sure if that was his last name) was the Big Guy, before MJagger came to the forefront of the band. Anyway, Ben plays a young Keith Richards and there's one scene where our Whishaw(/Keats?) is full-frontal naked!!. Nothing on but an opened dressing gown. . . !
Yes, Ennis--he is full-frontal in "Stoned"! I tried to watch the entire movie, but I got depressed pretty quickly by the main character's downward slide. . .and I'm not a huge Stones fan anyway, so I didn't feel connected to it much. Not enough scenes of Ben in the movie for my taste, either
Oh dear... I need to say something to add to the Ben-mania going on in here
If I were to sum him up in one word, that word would be... beautiful. His is a dainty, delicate, ethereal yet manly and seductive sort of beauty, the kind that makes girls of any age swoon with delightEspecially those deep, entrancing blue eyes, wouldn't you just want to stare into them ad infinitum?
And yet, it's not just the physical beauty; he's a lot more than just a pretty face. His artistic talent is remarkable (and I say that after only seeing him in two films).
Other users have expressed their displeasure with the fact that he wasn't allowed to perform in Bright Star at his full intensity. I am of the same opinion, he could have been much better if this had been a movie about Keats and not Fanny, he does have potential for that.
I remember seeing Perfume. Rarely does any film nail me to the couch, barely breathing for fear I might miss a detail, a scene in it. This one did, and it was mostly because of Ben's performance - he was otherworldly in that film, he appeared to have fallen down to earth from some higher sphere, bewildered by all that was going on around him. It takes a lot of spirit to make a character one could actually sympathize with out of a cold-blooded murderer. He did, he played his character with such an innocence and sensitivity that you couldn't tell whether he was a criminal or a victim.
I intend to see Brideshead Revisited, I'm Not Thereand Criminal Justice at some time in the near future.
I think I might skip the Stoned one (I am not at all fond of the Rolling Stones), but the full frontal scene got me interested so who know?![]()
He also has a part in the upcoming adaptation of Shakespeare's play The Tempest, so I'll be looking forward to that as well
He seems to be getting quite a few gay rolesThere is a scene where he kisses another man in this last one. Not that I'm shocked or anything
Yes, two gay roles recently I think. He was interviewed in a gay mag not so long ago and now some people say he's "out."
He also has a part in the upcoming adaptation of Shakespeare's play The Tempest, so I'll be looking forward to that as well.
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