ACADEMY Award-winning actor Ben Kingsley is an intense man with a profound philosophical approach to his craft.
He is deeply passionate about his work. As you listen to him talk about his character in the biographical drama The Walk, about the extraordinary feat of French high-wire artist Philippe Petit in New York City in the summer of 1973, you cannot help but feel awed and inspired.
“When I read the script, one of the things that I’ve got to be secured in is getting answers to these questions — What is my dramatic function in the film? What’s my job in the film? Why is the character here?’” said the 71-year-old Briton, whose performance in the 1982 biopic Gandhi earned him an Oscar for Best Actor.
Born Krishna Bhanji in Yorkshire, England, Kingsley was knighted in 2002, which gave him the title ‘Sir’.
It was something that he, according to some reports, would not want anyone to forget.
It was reported that Kingsley — Sir Ben to all of you — insisted on being called “Sir” on film sets, which he dismissed as a “misunderstanding”.
The title was even spelled out on the promotional poster of the 2006 action movie Lucky Number Slevin.
In another report, it was said he even signs off his email with “SBK”, which he said was a “joke”.
If you cross him, like the poor guy whose phone rang during Kingsley’s interview with Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon, be prepared to face the wrath of this Sexy Beast (the title of his 2000 movie).
Luckily, Kingsley was in good spirits during our interview in Cancun, Mexico, where he was promoting The Walk.
Directed by Robert Zemeckis and starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Philippe Petit, Kingsley plays the role of Petit’s mentor, high-wire performing artist Papa Rudy.
“When I saw the film, I can see clearly that the function of Papa Rudy is to warn the audience of what’s going to happen.
“And when Philippe finally gets to that moment, it is absolutely thrilling. Your heart’s in your mouth when you see it because, as my character has already told the audience, it’s not easy.
“My function as Papa Rudy is to tell Philippe that he has an extraordinary collection of skills and he must adhere to them, remember them and forget them in order to function.
“(Papa Rudy) gave him a very detailed set of rules about the tension of the wire, about placing the (rigged) wooden blocks and on his psychological approach in regards to the last three steps on the wire,” Kingsley said.
Based on a true story, the movie traces the events that led Philippe, with assistance from his team, to create history by walking on a high wire between the two towers of the World Trade Center, presented in full 3D cinematic glory on the big screen.
“When you see the film, I hope you will agree that by the time Philippe gets on the towers (of the World Trade Center) and puts his foot on the wire, you will feel that he’s carrying with him all the things that Papa Rudy has said to him while training him in the circus environment.
“I think we have a very central hero, totally original, extraordinarily sensible hero. And those around Joseph must make sure that we help sharpen his silhouette and tell the audience, boys and girls, this is why he is here.”
Kingsley said he met Petit at the 81st Academy Awards in 2009, where Petit was the subject of a documentary film Man On A Wire, directed by James Marsh, which bagged the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature that year.
“It was quite wonderful to watch the documentary and feel, in a sense, that this (Petit’s larger-than-life persona) goes beyond being human. When I shook his hand, I realised that he is just a mortal human being like any of us.
“That transition — from man to a legend — was beautifully captured on film. He is a hero, yet he is one of us. It is easy to feel inspired by him.”
When asked about his working relationship with Gordon-Levitt and whether he took on the role of a mentor to the young actor during filming, he said “the process is often reversed with me”.
“I learn a lot from watching other people’s performances. I observed him and learned about his wonderful stillness on the set, between takes.
“Very often between takes, you’d see me on my chair… No one would come near me because I would stay in the zone. He does this, too.
“He also has a very courageous aspect to his acting, in that he doesn’t really get involved with thoughts of whether the audience was going to like his character or not. He just presents a portrait of his character.
“He allows the audience to make up their own mind about who he is — sometimes obsessive, at times brutally selfish yet totally vulnerable. He never judges his character.”
Kingsley said he had turned down many scripts in his pursuit of artistic satisfaction.
“I look for originality, elements of surprise, a secure knowledge in the screenwriter or director of what they want me to do. I think one of the worst things that any director can say to me is ‘do what you like’. It’s an awful thing to say,” said the actor who made his film debut in 1972 with Fear is the Key.
He said he had high regards for film directors who were able to make actors transcend their limits.
“This is what I call wizardry. I have worked with such great directors whom I would call wizards.”
Kingsley said he loved “losing himself” in his characters.
“I get great joy watching myself on the big screen. For 10 to 15 seconds in a two-hour film, I can see that I have let go and become the character.
“It’s very brief. I would be sitting in the audience, thinking ‘I don’t know how I did that’. That’s because the character took over. His intuition became mine and it is wonderful when it comes together. If I try to do it, I’d probably fail.”
Known as a dramatic character actor, Kingsley has also played comedic roles in films, such as The Love Guru (2008), Iron Man 3 (2013) and Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (2014).
“I’m very fortunate in that I do not have to give the same performance (on screen) every time. I really love losing myself in the characters. I do enjoy those many different portraits. I love it.”
When asked to describe The Walk, he said: “From an archetypal mythology, our prince is certainly Philippe Petit and the wizard would be me. I empower the prince with that special sword (the high-wire pole) to tame the dragons, which are the twin towers in the story. He tames them by walking between them.”
‘The Walk’ is playing in cinemas nationwide