Ben Kingsley talks returning to the MCU with Wonder Man, his connection to the Beatles and revering Queen Elizabeth II

This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine.

Sir Ben Kingsley is one of the most garlanded actors of his generation. An Academy Award winner for Gandhi, he has also received Bafta, Golden Globe and Olivier awards, and worked with directors such as Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg.

Among his most famous roles are Itzhak Stern in Schindler’s List and Don Logan in Sexy Beast, but now he’s back in the Marvel Cinematic Universe for Hollywood satire Wonder Man, in which he plays Trevor Slattery.

So, who is Trevor Slattery?

Trevor is an aspiring actor who never quite hit the spotlight. After falling among thieves and posing as a murderous terrorist [in 2013’s Iron Man 3], he is imprisoned, then broken out of prison, and so returns to Los Angeles to try to recreate himself as a serious actor. This is my fourth visit to Trevor. He is a character that I would never have dreamt would span 15 years of my career.

You were born Krishna Pandit Bhanji in 1943. Your father was a doctor of Gujarati Indian descent and your mum was an English actress and model – how did they meet?

I believe my mother attended a Guy’s Hospital dance, where my dad was training.

You changed your name to Ben Kingsley; how did you decide on that?

My dad’s nickname was Ben and Kingsley is derived from his father; he was a spice trader on Zanzibar and his nickname was King Clove.

As a youngster, you were taken to see the Italian film Never Take No for an Answer, and you were mistaken for one of the young actors in it. This inspired you to pursue acting – how different would your life be if you hadn’t been to the cinema that day?

Oh, golly… I’m eternally grateful to the universe for placing me for those two hours in front of that flickering black-and-white screen, because it was an absolutely fundamental, primal moment. And when one looks back and thinks, what if that hadn’t happened – the whole of my life would be different. Absolutely. Without question.

In another Sliding Doors moment, John Lennon encouraged you to pursue a singing career. Were you close to being a pop star?

Very close. Brian Epstein, who managed the Beatles, was producing a play I was in. He introduced me to Dick James of Northern Songs, who published the Beatles’ songs, and James offered to mould me into a rock star. The following day I was offered a season at Chichester Festival Theatre. I accepted that instead, and then from Chichester was offered a role in the Royal Shakespeare Company. So the theatre snatched me, and I swam along with it.

In the past you’ve talked about approaching acting as a painter, trying to create an entire portrait with one brush stroke…

The single brushstroke is the one essential gesture in the character – that gesture could be physical or a feeling. For Gandhi his essential gesture was anger, but he translated that into something miraculous. In Schindler’s List the essential gesture of Itzhak Stern was that he had to witness what he witnessed. The universe placed him there to witness.

In film, you’ve worked with some of the greatest directors – is there a quality they all share?

There are two categories of directors. One is always auditioning you. The other says, here is the role. It’s the director who can gift the role to the actor generously that I love to work with. Peter Brook, whom I worshipped, said the worst thing a director can say: “Trust me”. The kindest thing I can say to a director is, “No, you trust me”.

You won an Oscar for Gandhi in 1983. Your fellow nominees were Dustin Hoffman, Jack Lemmon, Paul Newman and Peter O’Toole. How did that feel?

Watching, you could tell I was in shock. I looked like a demented wine waiter holding up my Oscar, saying, “Who ordered the chardonnay?” I mean, I was completely spaced out, and my fellow nominees were titanic stars.

You’ve won many awards for film and theatre, you’re also a knight and have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. If you could have just one thing, what would it be?

My knighthood. I revered greatly the late Queen Elizabeth, her father’s nerve and the family’s nerve during the Second World War. I long to be a tribal storyteller; when my tribe says, “We have seen you, and we have heard you and we thank you,” nothing quite compares as an acceptance and an embrace.

You’ve been a professional actor for 60 years. Does the job get easier or harder?

Neither – I think it gets more joyful.

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All 8 episodes of Wonder Man are available on Disney+ from 28 January.

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