There’s been a lot of speculation surrounding Ben Whishaw’s sexuality, and while the Skyfall actor hasn’t really talked about it a lot, the presumption has always been that he’s gay but hasn’t felt the need to scream it from the rooftops. However he’s now confirmed that not only does he like guys, but he entered a civil partnership with Australian composer Mark Bradshaw last August in Sydney.
His representative issued a statement saying, ‘Due to speculation, I can confirm that Ben and Mark entered into a civil partnership in August 2012. They were proud to do so and are very happy.
‘Ben has never hidden his sexuality, but like many actors he prefers not to discuss his family or life outside of his work.’
The Daily Mail reports the couple met in 2009 while Whishaw was shooting the John Keats biopic Bright Star. He’s also appeared in the likes of Perfume and The Tempest, and hasn’t shied away from queer sexuality in things such as Brideshead Revisited, The Hollow Crown and Cloud Atlas. His highest profile role to date is playing the new Q in Skyfall.
Speculation about his sexuality reached a fever pitch in 2010 after an interview with Out while he was playing a gay character in the off-Broadway play, The Pride. When asked about whether it was important for young gay people to have positive role models, Whishaw said, ‘I feel in my heart that it’s important, but I don’t quite know yet the way to go about that. Maybe that’s the transitional thing I feel I’m in the middle of at the moment.’
Most took that as Whishaw saying he was gay, but wasn’t sure how to deal with his growing public profile, especially as he’s an actor who wants people to see the character he’s playing, not the person behind it.
It’s unlikely to be a surprise to many that 32-year-old Whishaw is gay, but some of his fans may be upset that he’s very firmly off the market.
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