Ben Kingsley portrays Trevor Slattery, a washed-up actor recruited to masquerade as scary villains such as The Mandarin in “Iron Man 3,” in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
And shortly after making a cameo appearance in “Shang-Chi,” Variety reports that Kingsley will reprise the foolish character in the upcoming Disney+ series “Wonder Man,” about the longtime Avenger and aspiring actor.
“If I may speak humbly as an artist and craftsman, I believe our responsibility is to always surprise and refresh,” Kingsley told Rebecca Rubin, a film and media reporter for Variety.
“Therefore, I aim to continue to continuously surprise and revitalize.”
Kingsley visited the Variety Studio at the Toronto International Feature Festival, hosted by King’s Hawaiian, to promote his new film “Daliland,” the festival’s closing film.
The film, directed by Mary Harron, focuses on the turbulent relationship between Salvador Dali and his wife and muse Gala during his latter years of life (Barbara Sukowa).
Kingsley stated that playing the dying artist in the film and portraying Dali’s life had been a full-bodied experience.
“When we examine the later years of his life, which were, I believe, underpinned by a fear of mortality, and then you balance that with the fact that he accepted in a rather unnarcissistic manner that he was a genius, much like Shakespeare’s ‘King Lear,’ how do you examine the passing of a genius, a great force?” Kingsley asked.
“Between action and cut, I had to be as wild, as audacious, and as desolate as Dali in his painting and writing.”
The premiere of “Daliland” will take place at TIFF on September 17. It seeks distribution in the U.S.