Being Ben…Whishaw

By Victoria Looseleaf

This Just In: If the name Ben Whishaw doesn’t quite ring a bell yet, it will. And in a big way. Though we wrote this original post several months ago, it has come to our attention that BW has been tapped to play Q to Daniel Craig‘s James Bond. We knew he was on a tear, but this is phenomenal news, and makes Ben the youngest Q, that pseudonymous tech wizard of Her Majesty’s Secret Service, to grace the Bondian screen (he’s 31 to Craig’s 43). And though none of Q’s latest gadgets have been announced, the New York Times has speculated about a “murderous iPhone,” for the new  movie that will be called Skyfall. Adding icing to Whishaw’s acting cake, the BBC News recently reported that our Ben is slated to play Richard II for the BBC.

Now: Some back history on the Brit who has been gracing screens since 1999, but we only became aware of him in 2004’s Layer Cake, which also featured a relatively unknown – at that time – Daniel Craig. (And speaking of Craig, we still regard The Mother, from 2003, a film in which Craig has an affair with a 60+ sex-starved Ann Reid, a masterpiece.)

“Forget the Excedrin…I’ll have a spot more of Mr. Craig, please…”

Ben then went on to play Keith Richards in Stoned, a 2005 biopic about the death of the Rolling Stones’ Brian Jones. (To read our review of Keith Richards’ platinum-selling memoir, Life, click here, then click here for our update on literary narcissists, which, for obvious reasons, includes Richards.) No easy task capturing the Keefster, but Whishaw did, cuz he can do it all. Remember him as the titular killer Jean-Baptiste Grenouille in Perfume: The Story of a Murderer? (OK – we didn’t actually see it, but we promise we shall, so in the interim, try to forgive us…). We did make an extra effort, however, to catch his Arthur in Todd Haynes’ surreal ruminations on Bob Dylan, I’m Not There. In that film, Ben held his own with the likes of Cate Blanchett, Heath Ledger, Christian Bale and Richard Gere. Not bad company, fersure.

Oy: We also admit we missed Julian Jerrold’s 2008 remake of Brideshead Revisited, in which our man about town assayed the role of Sebastian Flyte. But we promise to TiVo it, DVR it or whatever it as soon as we can. (We don’t do Netflix.) Next came Tom Tykwer’s The International, with Clive Owen and Naomi Watts, a film we’ve only seen bits and pieces of on transatlantic flights, but have no doubt that Whishaw’s presence helped elevate his thespian currency.

Then, veritable leading man status was conferred upon the dashing young Brit in 2009: Jane Campion’s underappreciated (and practically unseen by everyone), Bright Star, where Whishaw shone as the tragically dead-at-25-from tuberculosis poet, John Keats. His leading lady was Abbie Cornish, an excellent Welsh actor (actually, there aren’t that many, the fabulous Richard Burton, notwithstanding and forever leading the pack), playing Fanny Brawne, one of Keats’ love interests (the other being Paul Schneider‘s Mr. Brown, a role laced with homoerotic under/overtones).

The best part about Bright Star, though, besides the stellar acting, fine storytelling and gorgeous cinematography, was that we were privy to interview Campion. It was a roundtable press thing at The Four Seasons, with only one other journalist showing up. (There are usually lots more scribes, as they come for the free eats as much as anything, making sure to pile their plates high before sitting down for polite and well-policed chatter.) But we digress: Whishaw, it turns out, was the bonus interview, charming and beguiling, but, alas, none of that conversation made it onto the airwaves of KUSC. Perhaps when the dude gets huge – and he will – we’ll go back to the vaults and mine some lovely gems from the likeable lad. Here, here!

After Bright Star, Whishaw did a fine turn as Ariel in Julie Taymor’s vastly underrated The Tempest, from 2010. (How Taymor directed that and was working on her doomed Broadway fiasco, Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark, simultaneously, remains a mystery, though Taymor did make use of Reeve Carney in both poorly-received efforts.) Other notable cast members populating The Tempest include the always amazing Helen Mirren (in the gender-bending role of Prospera), Alfred Molina, David Strathairn and Tom Conti.

There’s no keeping a good man down, as our brilliant Ben then moved from Taymor’s flick to The Hour. Airing recently on BBC America, it’s the vehicle that made us fall in love with the wonderful Whishaw all over again.  A six-part television series set in Cold War-era England (think Mad Men with bad teeth and more drinking, if that’s possible), The Hour is a gripping behind-the-scenes drama/espionage thriller that centers on a journalist (Whishaw, as Freddie Lyon), a producer (Romola Garai, she of One Day – for The Leaf’s take on that abomination, click here), and an anchorman (the insanely brilliant Dominic West, he of The Wire fame), all working on an investigative news program.

There are way too many commercials, however, which is a hassle, but at least we can forward through them in order to salivate over Ben Whishaw. He’s authentic, cocky, wise beyond his years, provocative, adorable, smooth and will, hopefully, be a huge star along the lines of Jim Sturgess, James McAvoy, Ewan McGregor and all those other British dudes we love, not to mention Ricky Gervais (he’s back hosting the Golden Globes in January, so click here to read more about that), with Craig and Owen also part of that well-heeled pack, if a tad older.

So Ben, Mr. Whishaw, if you check your Google Alerts and this posting pops up, please give The LooseLeaf Report a shout-out. And remember, we knew you when…