The talented British actor is a veteran in the theater community, but most people know him as the voice actor behind ‘Paddington Bear’ in Paddington and ‘Q’ from Daniel Craig’s James Bond films Skyfall, Spectre, and No Time to Die.
For years in the 2000s to the early 2010s, Whishaw evaded questions about his sexuality–not that he owed anyone any explanation. In fact, when he was asked by The Telegraph about his personal life, he said:
“For me, it’s important to keep a level of anonymity. As an actor, your job is to persuade people that you’re someone else. So if you’re constantly telling people about yourself, I think you’re shooting yourself in the foot.”
In 2012, the actor entered into a civil marriage with Australian composer Mark Bradshaw until their separation in 2022. It wasn’t until 2014 when Whishaw finally came out publicly to The Sunday Times Magazine when he was promoting the independent film Lilting. In the film, one of the struggles his character faces is his partner’s sudden death, with the partner’s mother unaware that he was gay. Whishaw’s character eventually reveals their relationship to her. When asked if Whishaw could relate to this, he said:
“It is hard, I applaud anyone who does it.” He adds, “I identify with the character in Lilting in as much as I had a lot of fear in doing it for a long time. And who can say what? I’m not sure I know. But it takes courage and people have to do it in their own time, which is a negotiation you see happening in the film.”
This was then followed up by whether it was hard for him to come out to his parents, and Whishaw explained:
“I did have to. It’s a phrase I’m not entirely comfortable with, but since it’s the only one we have…My experiences were not dramatic, and everyone was surprisingly lovely. I hadn’t anticipated that they would be, but they were.
The actor is known to be quite humble and unassuming, despite all of the accolades and awards he has received. More recently, the actor was asked about the challenges of being an out gay actor:
“I think it’s down to every single person to do what’s right for them.” He adds, “…It’s better to be out…it was one secret I didn’t need to keep. It doesn’t need to be anyone’s business, but being happy in oneself, not ashamed, is probably better.”
Wishaw goes on to explain that being out has lifted a huge load off of his shoulders:
“I’m definitely happier. I remember days when I wasn’t out and that was a more stressful and unhappy position. So I’m grateful that’s over and also grateful that we live in a world where it’s not a shameful thing.
The 43-year-old actor also seems to be happy in the arms of new beau–Fleabag actor Kadiff Kirwan–after the two met on the set of This is Going to Hurt. The two even went on a romantic getaway in Greece, according to The Daily Mail.
Sources: The Telegraph, The Times, The Daily Mail.