Ben Whishaw

Today I have a little story for you. In 2006, I sat down and watched a movie called Perfume: The Story of a Murderer. The leading actor caught my eye immediately, he was incredible in the role and managed to convey so much emotion with quite limited dialogue. I mean it's not often you can feel sympathy for a killer and soon afterwards started my love for a certain actor named Ben Whishaw. As I grew up and my interest in films broadened, I watched him in various projects. From his melancholic portrayal of troubled poet John Keats in the visually stunning Bright Star, to the witty and adorable panache he gives to the character of Freddie Lyon in the tv series The Hour, I became quite intrigued in how this young actor switched so effortlessly between his wide spectrum of roles. To top it all off he appears so extremely shy and down to earth offscreen, which to me just further enhances the fact that he can transcend that in his acting. I was pretty pleased last year when I heard he had been cast as the new quartermaster Q in Skyfall, but even more so when it was announced that he would be doing theatre alongside his co-star Judi Dench the following year. I secured tickets as soon as they became available and have been counting down the days since then. It was such a wonderful experience seeing him act live right in front of my eyes, that energy simply emanating from the actors and bouncing through the audience. It's hard to explain the magic of theatre but I can say it was made even more special by the presence of my favourite actor. Afterwards I met Ben and managed to tell him what an inspiration he's been to me, also giving him a little sketch I did of him. It was such a surreal day, one that I had to share with all of you.

Have you seen any of Ben Whishaw's work? Do you have a favourite actor?