90.9 WBUR - Boston's NPR news station
Top Stories:
Listen News Programs Schedule
PLEDGE NOW
January 13, 2012 at 11:00 AM
Actor Sir Ben Kingsley

From Gandhi to Sexy Beast, to filmmaker Georges Méliès in Hugo, acting great Sir Ben Kingsley is with us.

In this image released by Paramount Pictures, Asa Butterfield portrays Hugo Cabret, left, and Ben Kingsley plays Georges Méliès in a scene from "Hugo." (AP)

In this image released by Paramount Pictures, Asa Butterfield portrays Hugo Cabret, left, and Ben Kingsley plays Georges Méliès in a scene from "Hugo." (AP)

The great British actor Ben Kingsley – Sir Ben Kingsley – was born Krishna Bhanji in North Yorkshire, son of an Indian-descended doctor father and an actress and model English mother.  In an astonishing career on stage and screen, he has drawn on all that and much more.

To play Gandhi in his very first big screen role.  It won him an Oscar.  To play a hard-bitten Cockney criminal in Sexy Beast.  A haunted Iranian colonel in House of Sand and Fog.  A French film pioneer in Martin Scorcese’s Hugo.

This hour, On Point:  a conversation with stage and film great Ben Kingsley.

-Tom Ashbrook

 

 

Guests

Ben Kingsley, Academy Award and Golden Globe-winning actor, his latest film is “Hugo.”

From Tom’s Reading List

Huffington Post “It’s an apt time for Kingsley to launch his effort to return the movie industry to its storytelling roots, given that he stars in Martin Scorsese’s new 3D film “Hugo” as one of film’s original pioneers, Georges Méliès.”

Reuters “When he sits down, though, there’s nothing terribly stuffy or regal about the Oscar-winning actor who plays silent film pioneer Georges Melies in Martin Scorsese’s “Hugo.” Rather, Kingsley is affable, articulate and eager to talk about acting, storytelling and the director who, he says, sees everything on a movie set.”

The Daily Mail “The shaven head and goatee are instantly familiar when Kingsley walks into the room, but despite his great fame nobody seems to know much about this intensely private 66-year-old. Not even his mother, as I am about to find out. For years he has deflected all personal enquiries, hiding behind his art, and that’s how he starts today.”

Video: Gandhi Trailer

Here’s the trailer from Kingsley’s 1982 film, Gandhi, an epic biography of the Indian lawyer who led a non-violent revolt against British rule. The film won eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Kingsley won Best Actor for his portrayal of Gandhi.

Video: Hugo Trailer

Here is a short video trailer of Ben Kingsley’s latest movie, Hugo.

More

Playlist

The Thief” (from Hugo) Howard Shore
“Discovery Of India” (from Gandhi) Ravi Shankar
“Coeur Volant” (from Hugo) Howard Shore

 
  • http://www.richardsnotes.org Richard

    Ben Kingsley is a genius, pure and simple. House of Sand and Fog stands out…

  • Tina

    Thank you, Sir Ben, for your wonderful Portrayals!  I would like to ask you about Britain’s actors and actresses compared to America’s.  The British actors I see on PBS, and occasionally in the movies, cover all age ranges and all levels of good to not-so-good looks; whereas, American actors and actresses are increasingly drop-dead gorgeous and within a slim age range, much slimmer for women.  I think the American fixation with good looks radically cuts down on the expressive and empathetic power of film and television drama. Do you agree?  Thank you!  

    Also, I chose the word “portrayals” rather than “performances” because you embody your characters!  

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/John-Bell/651257150 John Bell

    Hugo was wildly imaginative.  The design was superb & the acting and direction was fantastic.  The story not so.  Disappointing that the conflict was just a bruised ego. 

    • Edj

      Interesting take on the plot but I felt the conflict was more profound. So timely also, as so many people’s lives are so deeply affected as their jobs/careers/artistry disappear or are devalued.  The despair seen in the amazing closeups of the toy shop owner brought to the screen the tragic feelings felt by millions.  Kingsley nailed it for me.   

  • Poulin

    Merchant of Venice and Schindler’s List were both unforgettable roles for me.  A true master actor.  Tom, thank you for ALWAYS choosing the most interesting subjects.  I moved to CA 2 years ago, but I still listen to your show via the Internet everyday. 

  • Audrasbooks

    My favorite – Sneakers…

  • Ysmpoulin

    My fantasy movie would be Kingsley playing Jiddu Khrishnamurti.  Hollwood, can you hear this?

  • Vijay

    My question for him is empathy and emotive connection are incredibly powerful aspects of film, ones that I feel often embody the “entertainment” qualification of film.  But with the seeming rise of 3D, and big budget Hollywood entertainment films….in the future can film use these qualities to uplift the human race rather then simply entertain?  Can documentaries illuminating great tragedies or unknown strife become the things we focus on rather than the next action sci-fi 3D sequel???

    • Terry Tree Tree

      Good stories, and good acting will survive in some way!  Remember that “Young Dr. Frankenstein”, and “Schindler’s List” were in black and white, decades AFTER color was the medium!

  • MEMLLM

    Is there anyone that Sir Ben has worked with that have become life-long friends?  Is there anyone with whom he would never wish to work again? (Would he name names?)

  • Anonymous

    Fascinating discussion and Ben Kingsley is so articulate in describing the acting experience.  As a photographer I’ve always been interested in the acting process.  My question is how do you separate your own character while you are working on the one you are acting?  In your day to to day life and within the filming of the project.  Thank you, Anne

  • JW

    Ask him about being on The Sopranos. He was outstanding. How much of that was the “real him”?
    JW

  • Victoria

    Ben Kingsley did an amazing, oscar-worthy performance in Roman Polanski’s Death and the Maiden with Sigourney Weaver in 1994. He plays a character who is both dangerous and weak.

  • Ysmpoulin

    Sir Kingsley: Direct a Bio pick movie about Jiddu Khrishnamurti.  And, play him of course. 

  • Christopher Trindade

    I would have liked for him to talk about his role in The Whackness, and about his character Dr. Jeffery Squires. I want to know what his drive was as that character, because here’s a man who’s life has entered a state of constant monotony, him and his wife barely speak, he can’t quite relate to his daughter, and yet he takes special interest in his pot dealer, and he pushes him to try and better himself, and he lives through him and takes part in his dealings. And his life further deteriorates as his wife decides she wants a divorce, and so he attempts suicide in a number of different manners, all unsuccessful and at the end he decides to continue living. What drove this man to do all this? And how did he as an actor find this drive?

  • Tina

    Tom, That was a wonderful interview!  The balance and energy were both perfect!  And then, Sir Ben was so very generous when sharing  his profound thoughts on acting and on the interface of acting  with life lived.  A great hour!  

  • Naimesh Kotadia

    I was a young boy when I first watched the movie Gandhi, before that I just read about Gandhi. So even today when ever I think of Gandhi, the image of sir Ben Kingsley comes to my mind as Gandhi. Hats off to this magnificent actor and performer of our times. I really regret that I was not able to listen when this was aired yesterday and missed a chance to speak to sir Ben.

  • Tim Kotora

    What a noble, gentle, generous person Ben Kingsley is. Thanks for a great interview.

  • Pingback: Ancient Persian poetry through a vocoder « WijeratneWorks

  • Gabriel Boyers

    A special actor – a TRUE actor – who seems to become each character he portrays. One never has the sense that one is going to a film just to see Ben Kingsley do his shtick. He seems to fully erase himself from each role. A very, very scarce ability these days!

ONPOINT
TODAY
May 24, 2013
129 Comments
President Obama talks about national security, Thursday, May 23, 2013, at the National Defense University at Fort McNair in Washington. (Carolyn Kaster/AP)

Oklahoma’s monster tornado. The president on counterterrorism. A vote on gay Boy Scouts.

May 24, 2013
1 Comment
A metal fan crowd surfs in a mosh pit during the heavy metal festival Wacken Open Air in Germany. (Philipp Guelland, DAPD/AP)

The definitive history of heavy metal and what it’s always been about.

RECENT
SHOWS
May 23, 2013
52 Comments
In this 2011 photo, U.S. Navy sailors participate in intense 10-minute workout intervals. (Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Michael K. McNabb/U.S. Navy)

Rock-hard bodies in a fraction of the time. We’ll look at the 7-minute workout and the promises of high-intensity exercise.

 
May 23, 2013
501 Comments
In this 2010 photo, a sign announcing the acceptance of electronic Benefit Transfer cards is seen at a farmers market in Roseville, Calif. (Rich Pedroncelli/AP)

Congress says food stamps are costing the country too much and debating big cuts. One in every seven Americans is using them to eat. What’s going on?

On Point Blog
On Point Blog
Is America Coming Undone?
Thursday, May 23, 2013

New York writer George Packer says yes. He reflected on the nation’s core institutions failing the American people.

More »
2 Comments
 
WIRED’s Bill Wasik On The Henry Fords Of Today
Wednesday, May 22, 2013

He talked about how Google and Tesla are paving the way of innovation and how technological development is related not only to creativity but to environmental responsibility.

More »
Comment
 
Switching Shows For Our Second Hour Today
Friday, May 17, 2013

Adventures in live radio. Richard Snow, our guest for our show on Henry Ford, was held up — possibly by a faulty Model T? — so we’re running a terrific archive show on great quotations.

More »
5 Comments