Ben Whishaw’s star turn could propel short film ‘Good Boy’ to Oscars glory

Jacob Sarkisian
·5 min read
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Ben Whishaw could propel a charming, British short film to Oscars glory with his star turn in Tom Stuart’s “Good Boy.” The film follows Whishaw — best known for his BAFTA-winning performance in “This is Going to Hurt,” his Emmy-winning turn in “A Very English Scandal,” and his role as Q in multiple James Bond movies — as down-on-his-luck Danny.

Danny attempts to rob a bank with the help of his chaotic mum, played by SAG-winning actress Marion Bailey, but he runs into trouble when memories of a tragic past begin to literally haunt him. As he tries to escape this past, a hopeful future arrives in the form of a potential suitor in a shop.

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The film is written and directed by Whishaw’s long-time friend Stuart, who is best known as an actor in a smattering of small roles in big-name productions such as “People Just Do Nothing,” “The Borgias,” and “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.” With “Good Boy,” Stuart proves he is a quality storyteller as he depicts grief with intelligence, humor, and a lightness of touch. It’s a tender, charming, quintessentially British film, and Whishaw proves that no matter what medium he works in — be it feature film, TV, theatre, or short films — he is always excellent. He packs an almighty punch even in just this 15-minute short. Several lucky journalists including myself were in attendance for a recent London screening wherein we were treated to a Q&A with Whishaw and Stuart.

Stuart revealed that the inspiration for the story was a deeply personal one as he was inspired to make this film when his mother, whom he was very close to, passed away, explaining: “I was very lucky to have a very funny, naughty, chaotic, smart, loving mum. She died at the beginning of the pandemic very suddenly and unexpectedly from a cancer that none of us even knew that she had. In a way, this is me trying to work that out.”

The short film was shot in Somerset on the same farms that Glastonbury Festival is held, which just adds to the quaint British-ness of the whole picture (sans the enormous music acts and drunken festival goers). Stuart also went to Glastonbury sometime after his mother’s funeral, which helped to process the grief that he felt.

“Grief looked nothing like what I thought it looked like. My understanding of it is what I’d seen in films and TV, which is a lot of crying and not being able to get out of bed. And, of course, there is some of that but, generally, it looked nothing like what I thought it would. It was more like I was at the supermarket choosing some cereal and then wallop here is a memory of the doctor that looked after mum. That was the genesis of the idea — how grief can just pounce at you when you are trying to get on with your day-to-day life,” Stuart said.

The filmmaker explained that it was Whishaw, who knew his mother, who encouraged him to try his hand at filmmaking during a lengthy walk along South Bank just after the pandemic. Whishaw happily obliged to star in the film, particularly because he “hadn’t seen a portrayal of grief” like Stuart’s short script. Whishaw told us that Stuart’s joy for both the subject and the filmmaking experience was “infectious” and made the experience easier. The actor has starred in a number of short films including “Miss Fortunate,” “O Holy Ghosts,” “Palo Santo,” “Family Happiness,” and “The Muse.” “Good Boy” is just another addition to that eclectic mix of wonderful shorts. I asked Whishaw why he is so drawn to working on short films and why the specific medium is so important to the world of filmmaking as a whole.

“They’re often a training ground, aren’t they? They’re kind of an opportunity for people to make film, to begin to tell stories. And, also I think they are really, really hard to do well. It’s a very particular form,”  Whishaw said, alluding to the fact that short films can actually be harder than full-length feature due to the time constraints.

“The idea has to be really strong and concise because there is so little time. I think they’re little puzzles — beautiful little puzzles. For an actor it’s great because they’re often very personal or raw or wild in some way.”

Stuart added: “They’re like little haikus rather than a novel. Writing a film or TV series is a lot easier because there can be nothing strenuous in a short film. It has to be so sharp and to the point because you have such a condensed amount of time. So there’s a lot more pressure on it, in a way. It teaches you a lot.”

“Good Boy” is an Oscar and BAFTA qualifying short so it could Stuart could be in for a big year, particularly because Best Live-Action Short Film Oscar nominees often feature the involvement of a big star such as Whishaw. Riz Ahmed won this category in 2022 with Aneil Karia for “The Long Goodbye;” Oscar Isaac and Alia Shawkat starred in the 2021 nominee “The Letter Room;” Sally Hawkins and Jim Broadbent starred in the 2015 winner “The Phone Call;” and Martin Freeman and Tom Hollander starred in the 2014 nominee “The Voorman Problem.”

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