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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.

Ben Whishaw

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.
BEN WHISHAW

Able Actors Levels
I’ve gone on workout regimes, but I seem to have a system that is very resistant to changing.
BEN WHISHAW

Gone Regimes Workout
As an actor you have total rights to privacy and mystery, whatever your sexuality, whatever you do. I don’t see why that has to be something you discuss openly because you do something in the public eye. I have no understanding of why we turn actors into celebrities.
BEN WHISHAW

Eye Rights Understanding
I find it really hard to say anything coherent or interesting about the work I do.
BEN WHISHAW

Anything Hard Interesting Say
I am a typical Libran. I tend to see two sides of everything.
BEN WHISHAW

Sides Two Typical
One of the things I find very difficult about theatre is the repetition – that something can slide away from your original intentions.
BEN WHISHAW

Intention Slides Theatre
I would have loved to have been a painter or a sculptor. I’m still fascinated by those things.
BEN WHISHAW

Painters Sculptors Stills
I’d like to have a go at directing.
BEN WHISHAW

Action Directing Go
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.
BEN WHISHAW

Acting Character Stories
I used to collect knick-knacks, like wizards, trolls and little buddhas, and arrange them like precious things on a shelf.
BEN WHISHAW

Knack Littles Wizard
I always feel I am in the dark. You are never finished… it is not as if you can look back and think: ah… I know what I am talking about. You are only as good as your last job and are always struggling and striving and you never quite get to where you want to be.
BEN WHISHAW

Dark Jobs Struggle
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.
BEN WHISHAW

Couple Desire Hell
Filmmakers tell stories to explore human nature, which is always a flawed thing.
BEN WHISHAW

Filmmaker Human Nature Stories
For me, it’s important to keep a level of anonymity.
BEN WHISHAW

Anonymity Important Levels
I wish that the arts were better supported, and you can’t say that enough times, but I also believe that whatever happens, artists will keep going.
BEN WHISHAW

Art Believe Wish
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.
BEN WHISHAW

Country People Today
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.
BEN WHISHAW

People Talking Thinking
I think that sometimes in theater, I don’t prepare much beyond going to the rehearsals.
BEN WHISHAW

Rehearsal Sometimes Thinking
It’s fun to pretend you’re good at something you know you wouldn’t be good at in real life.
BEN WHISHAW

Be Good Fun Real
I’m not tortured and neurasthenic – I’m really not.
BEN WHISHAW

Neurasthenic Not Really Torture
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.
BEN WHISHAW

Preparation Rehearsal Shooting
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.
BEN WHISHAW

Bigs Ideas People
I think I have a degree of confidence, but I also have terrible insecurity, like anybody does.
BEN WHISHAW

Degrees Insecurity Thinking
My intuition comes up with better stuff than my head, I think.
BEN WHISHAW

Intuition Stuff Thinking
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.
BEN WHISHAW

Certainty Choices Life Next
I love the characters I’ve had the opportunity to play.
BEN WHISHAW

Character Opportunity Play
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.
BEN WHISHAW

Character Different Looks

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.

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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.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

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