Exclusive: Espionage in London: A Conversation with Ben Whishaw for the DVD release of BBC Mini-Series London Spy
LONDON SPY begins with a chance romance between two people from two very different walks of life; one from the high-powered ranks of investment banking and the other from a world of clubbing and youthful excess. Their love story quickly unravels, however, when the reclusive banker disappears under suspicious circumstances, exposing his real identity as a spy and forcing his lover down a dark path in order to reveal the truth.
The stirring five-part mystery, from acclaimed best-selling author Tom Rob Smith (Child 44, Doctors), stars BAFTA© winner Ben Whishaw (Spectre, The Danish Girl) in a career-defining performance as Danny, the innocent, young romantic drawn into a dangerous world of espionage. He is joined by Academy Award© winner Jim Broadbent (Iris, Cloud Atlas) who is Danny’s friend and mentor; Scottie, Emmy© nominee and Academy Award© nominee Charlotte Rampling (Broadchurch, 45 Years) is Alex’s mother; Frances, and newcomer Edward Holcroft (Wolf Hall, Kingsman: The Secret Service) is Danny’s lover, Alex.
To coincide with the release on May 2, The Fan Carpet have an exclusive interview with Ben Whishaw who plays Danny in the BBC Mini-Series...
Where does the story of London Spy begin?
Danny’s the central character and we follow him, he falls in love at the beginning of the story with a man called Alex and they have a very intense, deep connection.
How does that relationship contribute to the plot of the story?
The relationship mysteriously ends abruptly and Danny doesn’t really understand why. And anyway it transpires that Alex has been murdered and Danny discovers his body in an attic in Alex’s flat. And from there the story follows Danny’s journey to try and understand what happened to his lover.
What’s the importance of character in London Spy?
It’s very anchored in character and I’m amazed by how well Tom has written every single character who features, there are many characters that Danny encounters along this journey. And it’s also very unique and exciting I think because it happens so much in one character’s head. It’s a very subjective story, and all the more exciting for that I think.
Is Danny aware of the situation he’s in or who Alex really was?
Danny doesn’t know he’s in a spy story, he doesn’t know he’s in love with a spy, he doesn’t understand the world of spying, he’s in a world that’s quite alien to him, the rules of which he does not understand at all. I also think though that Danny has a few surprises up his sleeve. He’s a complicated person and there are parts of him that are revealed only slowly over the course of the five hours. So it’s all part of the world that this series creates where you’re not certain quite of everything.
Can you talk about the friendship between Danny and Scottie?
Danny and Scottie have been friends for a very long time and in a way it’s the central relationship of the series and that’s another thing I really love about this series is that it features this friendship between two gay men, one who’s in his sixties and one who’s in his twenties, so two very different generations in terms of attitudes towards sexuality.
Do you think there are any other underlying feelings between Danny and Scottie besides friendship?
There are unspoken or unexplored feelings probably from Scottie towards Danny, but over the course of the story we realise that Danny really does in his own way reciprocate those feelings. There’s great love and tenderness towards Scottie, who is a wonderful, wise, humane person with a sort of core of sadness in him I suppose.
What did you think of the script when you first read it?
It felt incredibly fresh and I didn’t know what on earth was going to happen next or what kind of a story I was in. It felt like anything could happen.
LONDON SPY COMES TO DVD FROM MAY 2 COURTESY OF UNIVERSAL PICTURES (UK)
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