I'm intrigued by his painting analogy and wonder what artist the actor most closely associates himself with. Is he a Picasso or a Pollock. like his wig‘.’ ‘I'm not brave enough to be a Picasso.‘ he says. ‘I Ie had this beautiful way of painting. like a child; there is something completely uninhibited about his work. So I don’t know who I am really.’
I baulk. There are many things you can say about his acting. but being inhibited is definitely not one of them. Let‘s not forget this is the man that scared the living daylights out of Ray 'The Daddy" Winstone in Sexy Beast. makes a police officer cower like a child in House ofSum/ um/ Fug and played the imposing magistrate Porliry in Joseph Sargent‘s (’rime um/ l’mti.v/1ment. I probe for more explanation. 'Yes. I think I‘m a little too locked in the detail.~ he says. ‘I‘m a little too careful sometimes. [H were painting I‘d he the one trying to mark completely accurate lines. I‘m dead perfect on my dialogue. I rarely improvise unless there is a director who insists that he wants to run with it for another l5 seconds and asks if I can carry on. I don't normally like improvising. It’s my theatre training. I like staying on target as it were. I like to visualise the target as a stream of words or movements. Within that. I‘d like to he just a little hit more carefree. With comedy. it‘s a great opportunity to be carefree.‘
Some would argue that by sending up his Gandhi performance in the appalling The Lure (iuru. he wasn't being carefree. but careless. It seems the actor may feel the same way. for when I bring up the Mike Myers film. he answers with a question. ‘Ilave you seen The .S'nprunm“? That is self-satire.‘
It‘s funny to hear Sir Ben talk about self-satire as his sense of self-importance and insistence on being called 'Sir‘ were called into question by Lord Puttnam in 2006 when the poster for Lucky Number Slei'in billed him as Sir Ben Kingsley. His attitude is a bit pompous. but so is the honours system that awards knighthoods to actors mid-career. so if he wants to he pedantic about it. then that‘s the way the cookie crumbles.
Meeting him face to face. I am happy to call him by his title. more so because he‘s a boy that’s done good. Born in Yorkshire. his father a Kenyan—born Indian physician and his mother a fashion model with a Jewish Iiuropean background. Sir Ben. a promising singer and
‘I SAW SOUIRES WITH WIRES COMING OUT
OF HIS HEAD, AS IF THE MADNESS COULDN'T BE CONTAINED'
The bald facts: since winning an Oscar for Gandhi in 1982, Ben Kingsley has shown his versatility in films such as The Love Guru (above) and Elegy (left) as well as his latest role as a shrink in The Wackness (far left and below)
guitarist. made his stage debut in I966 and was soon snapped up by the Royal Shakespeare Company. He also appeared in a handful of episodes of (‘omnutinu Street. He forged a fierce reputation as a Shakespearean actor before moving into cinema. Then. in l982. he played (iandhi and became the first actor of Indian descent to win the Best Actor ()scar. I was only seven at the time but I can still remember the sheer glee on my Pakistani father‘s face when he won.
Recently the actor seems to have been recast as a ladies' man. As well as playing Famke Janssen‘s husband and snogging Mary-Kate Olsen in The Illu'kness. he wooed Penelope C ruz in Iz'legy. while Tea Leoni was his belle in You Kill Me. He also reminds me with a gleeful grin that he had some rather erotic scenes with Annette Bening in Mrs Harris. Life seems to be mirroring an as the actor recently got married for the fourth time to 32-year-old actress Daniela Lavenda. It's with another glint in his eye that he tells me that his new wife is the best judge of whether he’s got sexier over time. It‘s true. he does become more carefree when doing comedy. A bit more of that and his dream Picasso inspired performance may come sooner than he thinks.
The Wackness is on general release from Fri 29 Aug, see next issue for review; Elegy and The Love Guru are out now.
14—21 Aug 2008 THE LIST 1 1