Ben Whishaw
Birthday: 14 October 1980, Clifton, Bedfordshire, England, UK
Birth Name: Benjamin John Whishaw
Height: 175 cm
Proclaimed by many critics as one of the best young actors of his generation, Benjamin John Whishaw was born in Clifton, Bedfordshire, to Linda (Hope), who works in cosmetics, and Jose Whishaw, who wo ...Show More
I'm not tortured and neurasthenic - I'm really not.
I'm not tortured and neurasthenic - I'm really not.
I'd like to have a go at directing.
I'd like to have a go at directing.
The thing I love about acting is that you can bring something very personal into the open and at the Show more
The thing I love about acting is that you can bring something very personal into the open and at the same time remain hidden because you're always playing a character in a story that someone else has imagined. You're always protected. Hide
There are certainly other things I'd like to have a go at one day.I'd like to have a go at directing Show more
There are certainly other things I'd like to have a go at one day.I'd like to have a go at directing. Or maybe I'll go back to painting. Or maybe thinking about those things is just my way of protecting myself if it all goes wrong. Hide
I don't think anyone can walk through the world in a state of vulnerability all the time, can they?
I don't think anyone can walk through the world in a state of vulnerability all the time, can they?
I've been out to LA a couple of times but, over there, the Grenouille in me always comes to the surf Show more
I've been out to LA a couple of times but, over there, the Grenouille in me always comes to the surface. I feel completely terrified, totally flummoxed, like I don't understand what the hell is going on. I've no desire at all to go back there. Hide
I've gone on workout regimes, but I seem to have a system that is very resistant to changing.
I've gone on workout regimes, but I seem to have a system that is very resistant to changing.
Even today, England is a very repressed, repressive country, and there's pressure to be kind of a ce Show more
Even today, England is a very repressed, repressive country, and there's pressure to be kind of a certain way, so people do things that ultimately make them sad. Hide
When I finished my A-levels, I assumed I'd be able to get work as an actor. But I couldn't. I didn't Show more
When I finished my A-levels, I assumed I'd be able to get work as an actor. But I couldn't. I didn't get an audition. Nothing. So I thought I'd better train and then the parts would come. Hide
The criminal justice system, like any system designed by human beings, clearly has its flaws.
The criminal justice system, like any system designed by human beings, clearly has its flaws.
I love the characters I've had the opportunity to play.
I love the characters I've had the opportunity to play.
Your one certainty in life, your power as a human being, is that you have a choice in every situatio Show more
Your one certainty in life, your power as a human being, is that you have a choice in every situation about what you do next and about how you take what has happened to you. Hide
I reckon domesticated cats have a pretty good life.
I reckon domesticated cats have a pretty good life.
Filmmakers tell stories to explore human nature, which is always a flawed thing.
Filmmakers tell stories to explore human nature, which is always a flawed thing.
The thing about acting is that it's fairly random. At the end of the day you take what drifts past y Show more
The thing about acting is that it's fairly random. At the end of the day you take what drifts past you or what's given to you. Hide
It's difficult, it's a bit like acting in a silent movie. That's what Dustin Hoffman said to me, any Show more
It's difficult, it's a bit like acting in a silent movie. That's what Dustin Hoffman said to me, anyway. We did the scenes with him in the first two weeks, and as he was leaving he said, 'Well now you're making a silent film, Ben; good luck!".- On making Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006) Hide
I was quite a shy child - not chronically, but I tended to blend into the background.
I was quite a shy child - not chronically, but I tended to blend into the background.
I don't have any ambition to make lots of money or win an Oscar or anything like that. It's not abou Show more
I don't have any ambition to make lots of money or win an Oscar or anything like that. It's not about that for me. I'm very lucky to have found the thing that makes me tick. Hide
Keats himself spoke about how Shakespeare was capable of erasing himself completely from the charact Show more
Keats himself spoke about how Shakespeare was capable of erasing himself completely from the characters he had created. As an actor, that is what I'm trying to do. Hide
[on his hair] Sort of neglect of it, really. I don't wash it often. I will often put a hat on it to Show more
[on his hair] Sort of neglect of it, really. I don't wash it often. I will often put a hat on it to squash it down a bit. Hide
I find it weird that people want to know about you.
I find it weird that people want to know about you.
I'm so lucky to be able to do what I do, and it would be abusing it just to make money. I don't need Show more
I'm so lucky to be able to do what I do, and it would be abusing it just to make money. I don't need lots of money, I'm not motivated by that. I would feel really dirty I think. Hide
I'm a fairly private person.
I'm a fairly private person.
I love taking on other people's words. They are much more interesting to me than my own.
I love taking on other people's words. They are much more interesting to me than my own.
I think I have a degree of confidence, but I also have terrible insecurity, like anybody does.
I think I have a degree of confidence, but I also have terrible insecurity, like anybody does.
What I notice about people who are gifted in filmmaking is that they're great thinkers. They engage Show more
What I notice about people who are gifted in filmmaking is that they're great thinkers. They engage with big ideas and they engage with people. Hide
I don't think I am especially interested in celebrities, but I love talking about what is going on w Show more
I don't think I am especially interested in celebrities, but I love talking about what is going on with people and why they do what they do. Hide
I am a typical Libran. I tend to see two sides of everything.
I am a typical Libran. I tend to see two sides of everything.
I think the sensation of being moved by a piece of art is something that is really good for a person Show more
I think the sensation of being moved by a piece of art is something that is really good for a person's soul. Hide
I think that sometimes in theater, I don't prepare much beyond going to the rehearsals.
I think that sometimes in theater, I don't prepare much beyond going to the rehearsals.
We are so mired in the complexity of our reactions to other people that when you come across someone Show more
We are so mired in the complexity of our reactions to other people that when you come across someone who is asocial, there is a simplicity that is refreshing. Hide
I do think Dylan's incredible.I sort of fell in love with him. I became obsessed. But I've moved on Show more
I do think Dylan's incredible.I sort of fell in love with him. I became obsessed. But I've moved on now. I always do. Hide
The thing I love most about acting is that your capacity evolves as you evolve as a human being.
The thing I love most about acting is that your capacity evolves as you evolve as a human being.
It's fun to pretend you're good at something you know you wouldn't be good at in real life.
It's fun to pretend you're good at something you know you wouldn't be good at in real life.
I didn't really get much. I was with all these beautiful girls who I've murdered, all looking gorgeo Show more
I didn't really get much. I was with all these beautiful girls who I've murdered, all looking gorgeous, and I was the spare prick at the wedding. - About Berlin Film Festival's paparazzi. Hide
I would have loved to have been a painter or a sculptor. I'm still fascinated by those things.
I would have loved to have been a painter or a sculptor. I'm still fascinated by those things.
I used to collect knick-knacks, like wizards, trolls and little Buddhas, and arrange them like preci Show more
I used to collect knick-knacks, like wizards, trolls and little Buddhas, and arrange them like precious things on a shelf. Hide
In film, I find it very useful always to do some preparation before you start rehearsals or start sh Show more
In film, I find it very useful always to do some preparation before you start rehearsals or start shooting, because there's so much that's against you on a film set. Hide
I love films. I love music. I love poetry and stories. All of that I feel... I sort of get very exci Show more
I love films. I love music. I love poetry and stories. All of that I feel... I sort of get very excited and fed by. Hide
I think being very thin has had a lot to do with how I've been cast.
I think being very thin has had a lot to do with how I've been cast.
My intuition comes up with better stuff than my head, I think.
My intuition comes up with better stuff than my head, I think.
I'm really hopeless with technology - I don't even have a computer.
I'm really hopeless with technology - I don't even have a computer.
For me, it's important to keep a level of anonymity.
For me, it's important to keep a level of anonymity.
My favorite Bond films are the really early ones, the first ones in fact, like Dr. No (1962) and Fro Show more
My favorite Bond films are the really early ones, the first ones in fact, like Dr. No (1962) and From Russia with Love (1963). Hide
When you have a character to work with, you carry them around in a strange way - they make you look Show more
When you have a character to work with, you carry them around in a strange way - they make you look at the world in a different way. Hide
I began to feel that he was a character who, left to his own devices, wouldn't really speak at all. Show more
I began to feel that he was a character who, left to his own devices, wouldn't really speak at all. I thought about him as being autistic in some way. He simply doesn't understand human beings. Social situations terrify him. On the character Jean-Baptiste Grenouille Hide
One of the things I find very difficult about theatre is the repetition - that something can slide a Show more
One of the things I find very difficult about theatre is the repetition - that something can slide away from your original intentions. Hide
I find it really hard to say anything coherent or interesting about the work I do.
I find it really hard to say anything coherent or interesting about the work I do.
The most amazing thing is when you find yourself watching someone in the café or something doing so Show more
The most amazing thing is when you find yourself watching someone in the café or something doing something weird. It's amazing what people do, isn't it, when you just look at them, when you take the time to look. Hide
I do get stopped on the street, although rarely. And they always have something lovely to say.
I do get stopped on the street, although rarely. And they always have something lovely to say.
Ben Whishaw's FILMOGRAPHY
as Actor (71)
Ben Whishaw'S roles
Sebastian Flyte
Norman Scott
Sidney
Ariel
Limping Man
Robert Frobisher
Henrik
Paddington Bear
Jean-Baptiste Grenouille
Arthur
Richard
King Richard II
Michael Banks
Danny
Major Boothroyd
Herman Melville
