YOU may be surprised to learn this, but Benedict Wong is not American. Most people think he is, he says (including, until a few days ago, half of our office), which is why his most recent role in 3 Body Problem is such a treat.
"They are a bit shocked," he says, in his broad Mancunian accent, of fans who approach him expecting to meet Marvel's sorcerer Wong. "It's taken this long road to find a role to finally reveal myself as such. I'm glad that they went for me... and we [went] authentic." The "they" in question are the creators of Game of Thrones (David Benioff and DB Weiss) and True Blood (Alexander Woo), who have joined forces for Netflix's big spring release: a glossy adaptation of Chinese sci-fi writer Cixin Liu's book The Three-Body Problem.
Wong plays Da Shi, the no-nonsense, London-based detective trying to find out why top scientists are dying. The role was literally written for him, as Wong found out when he read the character description: this version of Da Shi had parents from Hong Kong who emigrated to the UK, and was born in Manchester in the Seventies.
"He spent 20 years there and came down to London. I went, 'Hang on, this sounds an awful lot like me.' Then Alex [Woo] had to confess that they just copied my Wikipedia page. So at the back of my mind, I went, 'Oh, wow, stalkers!"
" Stalkers, but for a good reason. Benedict Wong is hot property in Hollywood right now. Starting out in cult British shows like 15 Storeys High and The Peter Serafinowicz Show, he's segued into a blockbuster career that has seen him don the purple robes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Wong.
この記事は Evening Standard の March 22, 2024 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は Evening Standard の March 22, 2024 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
Only £65k a month to live like Boy George
The Karma Chameleon singer listed his house for £17m in 2022, turning down offers. Now, he's looking for a tenant
Welcome to London, unicorn capital of Europe
We're flying far ahead of anywhere outside US for tech investment
Arteta's Arsenal evolution The next phase
Malik Ouzia and Simon Collings assess how the Spaniard will try to bring down Man City after he signs up for another three years with the title in his sights
Title fight catches fire after Gunners embrace dark side
Arsenal-City clashes take on a welcome edge of animosity
Whack the hippy gong-boho's back
It happened in Paris one grey February day. Sienna Miller was in an oversized, black leather jacket, lace-trimmed silk slip and clumpy great wedges.
There's a Starlink waiting in the sky... 7,000 in fact.Can Elon Musk stop them crashing to Earth?
As he was preparing his fields for seeding this year, Barry Sawchuk came across a giant slab of space debris. It had come from a spacecraft belonging to Elon Musk’s company, SpaceX.
'Politicians are only into power-mongering, corruption and cronyism'
We speak to alt revolutionary DEEPAK CHOPRA about biomarkers, his digital twin and his work to save humanity from disease
I've been waiting for a production of Godotthis brilliant all my life
Ben Whishaw and Lucian Msamati bring a potent, tragicomic chemistry to James Macdonald’s rich revival of Samuel Beckett’s challenging play.
Trust me, the Ritz is London's bestrestaurant
To whom we turn in moments of gloom and glory can be instructive, a filter of our truest friends. I've fallen out with the Ritz a couple of times, including once after a visit to the bar which didn’t warrant a review (“But you said it was lovely!” they said.
'Healing is a dirty word'
After four traumatic years, FKA twigs is back with a new album -and a thrilling metamorphosis
