Why I Adore: Ben Whishaw

In this chapter of ‘the filmmaker’s guide’ we’re going to look at people that I absolutely adore and why I adore them. They can be anyone who is famous for being in film such as: actors and actresses, directors and producers, composers etc. We’re going to be looking at my childhood heroes, people I have discovered recently and people that I have yet to look entirely into. We’ll take a bit of a look at how I discovered them, what I think of them and why I think this way about them. Hopefully, we can gain a common ground, you can discover some new people or, via the email address in my bio, you can email me with any new people I don’t know about that you think I would like based on what you’ve seen. These are supposed to be positive articles and made to brighten your day and mine. So, let’s take a wild ride into my childhood, my teen years and what I absolutely adore about the film industry because it is alive and kicking (and if it isn’t, hell I might be out of a job…). Let’s go!

Ben Whishaw

I discovered Ben Whishaw quite a while back because I watched "Perfume: Story of a Murderer" when I was about fourteen years' old (which about the time it was having network premieres etc). It was after this that I began investigating Ben Whishaw's stage performances in past and present and his films (which were still coming out during my teens, proving that Ben Whishaw was still at his peak as I was reaching university age). One thing I was surprised about was how young he looked when I first saw him and the fact that ten years later, he pretty much looks exactly the same. He does not look his age at all and it's not a 'oh-you-look-so-youthful' thing. This is more like a 'why-the-living-f-aren't-you-aging?' thing.

After "Perfume", I started to notice Ben Whishaw in other films and TV Shows such as "Criminal Justice" and others. When I was about 16, I was reading "Cloud Atlas" in preparation for the movie coming out and yes, he was in that as well and yes, he was my favourite character in the film because his character was my favourite character in the book: Robert Frobisher.

Ben Whishaw's talents are absolutely awe-inspiring. His performance of Hamlet in 2004 and Richard II in BBC's "The Hollow Crown" were both Shakespearean performances done almost a decade or so apart and you can actually see how far Ben Whishaw has come even though he was so great as Hamlet. I really didn't think he could top that performance, but he did Richard II and basically nobody can touch that play now because his performance was the best. His performance in big-budget films like "Cloud Atlas" and the more recent James Bond franchise may be very good and his performances on stage may be amazing, but you also have to watch the independent movies he does. Movies like "Lilting" and the lesser known (but not independent) "Bright Star" are both films where Ben Whishaw portrays this dramatic anti-heroic person of grand states of emotion. He is capable of such a wide range of emotions, you could learn about feeling from this guy. He is absolutely brilliant at his job and seriously, I hope he never retires.

In the coming years, I hope Ben Whishaw chooses more emotional movies because I love it when he displays different types of great emotion. It makes for such great viewing material but I also hopes he keeps his options open. He makes an incredible villain when he wants to and his performance as the anti-heroic and slightly villainous protagonist of "Perfume" shows us that. His stage performances as Hamlet and Richard II also show us that very same thing. But, I am definitely looking forward to his future roles whatever they are, because I can always rely on him to be brilliant in them. So, whatever he does, you can be sure that I'm definitely going to watch it!

Join me next time for "Why I Adore: Eddie Redmayne"