I’ve loved Ben Whishaw since the first time I ever saw him. I believe that was Layer Cake, where he had a minor role as a skeevy little guy who was into Sienna Miller. Then I saw him in the remake of Brideshead Revisited, and his performance was the standout of a mediocre film – he was delicate and beautiful and tragic and amazing. My interest in him continued throughout The Hour, and most recently to his wonderful new gig as “Q” in the James Bond franchise (he was introduced in Skyfall). Anyway, I’ve always sort of assumed he was gay. He never came out and confirmed anything, and he just seemed to be in that school of actors who say “Whatever you want to think is fine, I’m not talking about it.” One time, a reporter “assumed” he was straight and Ben didn’t correct him. But at some point, I guess we learned that he has a boyfriend. And not just that – Ben and his man just got civil partner’d.
He has always been notoriously discreet about his private life, but now it can be revealed that actor Ben Whishaw has entered into a civil partnership. The 32-year-old star ‘married’ his partner, Australian composer Mark Bradshaw, in Sydney last August. The couple met on the set of Jane Campion’s 2009 film Bright Star, about John Keats’s heartbreaking love affair with neighbour Fanny Brawne before his untimely death from TB.
Whishaw played Keats in the film, while 30-year-old Mr Bradshaw composed the score. The actor, widely hailed for his brilliance on stage and screen, thrilled audiences last year with his quirky high-tech take on MI6 boffin Q in the Bond film Skyfall.
His sexuality has been the subject of a lively internet debate in recent years. Speculation was sparked by an interview he gave to the gay magazine Out in March 2011 while playing a homosexual character in an off-Broadway play, The Pride.
When the interviewer asked whether it was important for young gay people to have positive role models, Whishaw replied: ‘I feel in my heart that it’s important, but I don’t quite know yet the way to go about that. Maybe that’s the transitional thing I feel I’m in the middle of at the moment.’
Last night Whishaw’s spokesman confirmed the civil partnership, saying: ‘Ben has never hidden his sexuality, but like many actors he prefers not to discuss his family or life outside of his work. Due to speculation, I can confirm that Ben and Mark entered into a civil partnership in August 2012. They were proud to do so and are very happy.’
A friend of the couple, who live in Hackney, East London, said: ‘Everyone’s delighted for them. Mark’s a lovely guy, very talented and very close to Jane Campion. There hasn’t been a chance for a big celebration because of Ben’s schedule but I’m sure there will be one at some point.’
Last week the pair attended a party at the King’s Cross Viewing Platform in Central London to mark the opening of an exhibition at the Cob Gallery, which is co-owned by the playwright Polly Stenham.
Whishaw grew up in Bedfordshire in a wholly untheatrical family. His mother Linda worked at the cosmetics counter in John Lewis while his father Jose played football for Stevenage before moving into a career in IT. He also has a twin brother, James, who is 6ft tall and fair.
Whishaw is widely regarded as one of the most naturally gifted actors of his generation. When Trevor Nunn cast him as the youngest-ever Hamlet at the Old Vic in 2004, one critic said: ‘This is the kind of evening of which legends are made.’
Whishaw then moved effortlessly between stage film and television, playing aristocrat Sebastian Flyte in the remake of Brideshead Revisited and starring in the BBC2 newsroom drama The Hour.
In an interview to promote Skyfall last year, he answered questions about his private life, saying: ‘For me, it’s important to keep a level of anonymity. As an actor, your job is to persuade people that you’re someone else. So if you’re constantly telling people about yourself, I think you’re shooting yourself in the foot.’
Rising star Mr Bradshaw composed the score for Campion’s current BBC mini-series Top Of The Lake, starring Mad Men’s Elizabeth Moss, and for her short films The Lady Bug and The Water Diary. He was just 25 when he wrote the acclaimed score for Bright Star.
At the time, Campion said he reminded her of Keats, adding: ‘We’re making this film about a young genius, so you’ve got to take a risk.’
I’ve read some comments about how The Daily Mail “outed” Ben in this article, but I don’t think that’s really what happened? The Mail got a tip that Ben married his boyfriend, they asked for confirmation from Ben’s publicist, and they got it. So they ran the story. Besides, I think Ben was already sort of “out” (he was just private) and everybody already knew anyway. Whatever. Congrats to Ben and his partner/husband! Huzzah.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
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