Ben WhishawThe soft tones of are perhaps now instantly recognizable as Paddington Bear‘s, but the actor revealed just how involved the process actually was.

Or at least, the Bafta-winning star try as he admits he “doesn’t really know how to talk” about one of his most popular roles, which he only inherited by chance after original actor Colin Firth dropped out, fearing his voice would be too old.

Whishaw, 44, could also be immediately recognizable as Q has Daniel Craig(ancient) James Bondas well as many other acclaimed films and television shows like Bright Star, Criminal Justice and It’s going to hurtbut Paddington became a successful British phenomenon at the worldwide box office.

Considering how he was rushed into this role, he’s still genuinely surprised to be return to Paddington, Peruthe marmalade lover bear third adventurelaughing when I ask him if he saw himself here ten years ago, when the first film was released.

“No, I really didn’t. Absolutely not. The first film was a bit of a daze because I had arrived very late in the day, so I had no idea what I was doing, or really what I was involved in.” he answers honestly.

“I couldn’t have imagined that he would be so loved by so many people, no,” he adds, with a bit of wonder at the thought.

Two films later and Whishaw is intrinsically Paddington in the minds of fans – but he says it’s still not an immediate return to the character every movie.

“It always takes a little time to find THE again my voice, even though the voice is really just my voice,” he laughs. “It’s so hard – I don’t even really understand!” » he starts again, thinking about it.

“I guess a lot of it has to do with the adaptation of the voice to the animation and, my God, weird things like just knowing exactly where he is in the room or space, or how far away is the other person.

“It’s like trial and error, but I always feel like my first few sessions – two, three, four – are all just thrown out because they’re not working at all! But finally, we get back into the swing of things.

Whishaw is thus throughout, genuinely modest about his own talent – ​​he was one of the youngest actors to play Hamlet at the age of 23 at the Old Vic. It’s almost like his career happened to someone else when you talk to him.

I take it back to the early days of the Paddington voice and him trying to figure out how he would do it – he remembers ‘distinctly’ the moment he began discovering the sound of this iconic bear while working with original director Paul King, via a simple request.

“That’s a funny question because, well, how old is Paddington?” Whishaw laughs. “When I started the first film, I was doing a sort of child’s voice, and then we quickly realized that that wasn’t right at all – it had to sound a lot more like my own voice, and sometimes a little more austere and a little darker.” a little more growling.

So there is a difference between how Paddington Whishaw and Person Whishaw sound, it’s just more subtle than you would initially expect.

For someone as low-key as the actor, adding an animated character to his resume has had an unexpected and unexpected benefit in that he can actually enjoy the films himself, alongside their many fans.

Paddington fans are just as fierce: there was a lot of furore when Paddington 2 was made. dethroned from its perfect 100% Rotten Tomatoes score in 2021 after only one negative review was added to the site.

Its 99% score nevertheless keeps it on par with the screen classic Citizen Kane, which tickles Whishaw when I talk about it.

His take on why fans and critics love the Paddington franchise so much? “They are made with a lot of love, a real love and affection for the character of Paddington, for the world he lives in, and with a lot of attention to detail.” I think they’re really sharp, they’re really chiseled, so there’s no grease on them.

A joke, a moment, a poignant beat – as Whishaw advises, “there’s nothing there that doesn’t need to be there, which is true of all good storytelling.”

Returning to creator and author Michael Bond, who first published a Paddington book in 1958, he adds: “It’s about a really decent part of being human or something that we could at least aspire to be.”

I briefly talk about Paddington’s Message in Peru, which delves into deeper ideas than most family films with its message about belonging and citizenship as he leans in, nodding enthusiastically, while I respond to PR messages to wrap up the interview.

Another clear answer, besides the above, is the ability of the Paddington films to attract the best international talent – like Whishaw, Hugh Grant and Nicole Kidman in the previous films, as well as Olivia Colman and Antonio Banderas this time around, both of whom are clearly having fun.

And that makes it even more fun for fans to watch.

Paddington in Peru is in theaters from Friday, November 8. Ben Whishaw appears in Waiting for Godot at the Theater Royal Haymarket until December 21.

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