USA: GANDHI ACTOR BEN KINGSLEY TALKS ABOUT HIS ROLE AS THE GANGSTER DON IN THE NEW FILM "SEXY BEAST"

Record ID: 391352

  • Title: USA: GANDHI ACTOR BEN KINGSLEY TALKS ABOUT HIS ROLE AS THE GANGSTER DON IN THE NEW FILM "SEXY BEAST"
  • Date: 17th June 2001
  • Summary: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA (RECENT) (REUTERS) SCU (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTOR BEN KINGSLEY SAYING: "As soon as I sat down with Jonathan we were discussing Don and Don's narrative function in the film. What and who is Don? What does a nemesis mean? What does a dark force mean when it comes into your life? I remember before I actually started learning the lines we found this i
  • Embargoed: 2nd July 2001 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: VARIOUS FILM LOCATIONS / LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA75Q6D84K2IKLHHGSC9BTY9KD
  • Story Text: Academy Award winner Ben Kingsley plays a character decidedly un-Gandhi-like in his latest film "Sexy Beast."
    When you think of the wiry British actor, words like ``violent'' and ``manic'' don't exactly spring to mind. You think of the quiet intensity that earned him a best-actor Oscar for 1982's ``Gandhi,'' the inner strength that made him so memorable in films like ``Bugsy'' and ``Schindler's List.'' He's even brought intelligence and warmth to lighter films like ``Dave.'' "
    In his latest film, Kingsley is unpredictable and compelling as a foul-mouthed, gun-toting, butt-kicking British thug.
    "With all due respect, it was a huge privilege to occupy that silhouette where you have intelligence over adversity and it's great fun for me to balance that out and have Don simply living in his body the way that a dog or an animal lives in their body," Kingsley told Reuters. "They don't live in outer space, they live in their body and instincts and intuition."
    Gary "Gal" Dove (Ray Winstone) is an ex-villain who has served his time and is enjoying a blissful retirement on Spain's Costa del Sol, with his adored wife Deedee (Amanda Redman). His days are spent contentedly sunning himself beside his swimming pool watching his Spanish houseboy at work.
    Deedee, a former porn star, fills her days shopping for clothes .
    One day, while relaxing poolside, Gal's reverie is interrupted by a huge boulder that comes crashing down from the hill above the villa only to wind up in the middle of the pool.
    Equally upsetting to Gal's quiet existence is the entrance of one Don "Malky" Logan (Kingsley), Gal's ganster nemesis from his days on the other side of the law. Don is looking for Gal to enlist in an elite team of criminals. In a thick Cockney accent, Don reasons with Gal, then cajoles, then prods, then angrily demands when no other tactic works.
    The two men engage in a verbal battle that's quick and funny, but with a dangerous undercurrent. They complement each other: Don's edgy, Gal's easy-going; Don's hunting, Gal's retreating.
    ``Sexy Beast'' is the first feature film from director Jonathan Glazer, who made his name with commercial and music videos. Before this, he directed the sleek, video for Jamiroquai's hit ``Virtual Insanity.'' "Sexy Beast" is currently running in cinemas across North America.
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