An Ode To... The Talented Mr. Whishaw

Ode

a lyric poem usually marked by exaltation of feeling and style, varying length of line, and complexity of stanza forms 

e.g. Keats's ode "To a Nightingale"

It seems appropriate that the subject of our very first "An Ode To..." post be Ben Whishaw, who so memorably played John Keats in Jane Campion's swoony romance Bright Star. With these "Ode" posts, we'll be celebrating performers, artists, and creators that infatuate us, obsess us, and cause us to read their entire back catalogue in the space of a week/binge-watch their filmography/fly to faraway places just to see them onstage. Or maybe that's just me.

Although I've been watching Ben Whishaw in different projects for around 15 years now, my current Ben fandom started when our very own brie, Sam, turned me on to 00Q fanfic (that's James Bond/Q for the uninitiated.) And it was his performance as Q in Skyfall, and later films like Suffragette and The Lobster, that made me really appreciate what a complex and meticulous performer he is.

At the beginning of his career, Ben specialized in the sort of delicate, sensitive, not-of-this-world characters that some actors might have been forever typecast in. This quality of his became part of his allure and mystery, both as a person and as an actor. He can evoke emotion with incredible deftness, so much so that you don't ever see him "acting" so much as "being", even when he's reciting Shakespeare. His Richard II is the greatest modern interpretation of that part and the moment we reached Peak Whishaw.

But starting with the rebellious, heartbreaking Freddie Lyons in The Hour TV series, another side of Ben came out to play: steel. And that's when I really started to pay attention. You see it in his Q, who, despite verbal jousts with Bond, is always in control and well aware that he is leagues smarter than the secret agent. You see it in Suffragette, where he plays an abusive husband. And you see it in The Lobster, where he plays--you almost can't believe it--a lad. Mr. Toxic Masculinity in a brush cut and cheap-fitting suit.

Ben is one of those rare actors who can do anything: hero, villain, rebel, pacifist, straight, gay, period, contemporary. He's equally convincing behind a computer terminal spouting jargon as in a doublet reciting poetry. Right now, he's on stage in London as harried idealist professor Brutus in Julius Caesar, which National Theatre Live is broadcasting in cinemas around the world. If you have a chance to see it, go!

Ben Whishaw's characters appear unassuming at first. Shy and fragile, even. But if you let him, he'll get under your skin.

Best work: Richard II (The Hollow Crown, series 1), The Hour, Skyfall

Currently in: Julius Caesar (NT Live)

Upcoming: A Very British Scandal, Mary Poppins Returns

Would Love to See Him Play: Iago in Othello