Ben Whishaw

“As an actor you have total rights to privacy and mystery, whatever your sexuality, whatever you do. I don’t see why that has to be something you discuss openly because you do something in the public eye. I have no understanding of why we turn actors into celebrities.”

~ Ben Whishaw

One of my favourite actors, Ben Whishaw, triumphed at the BAFTA TV Awards last Sunday evening.  Some celebrities hotfooted it from the Eurovision Song Contest late the night before, to attend the event.  Ben won the award for Leading Actor (for his role in “This is Going to Hurt”), and was part of the “most memorable moment of the year”, which was the voicing of Paddington Bear playing opposite the Queen at tea at her Platinum Jubilee last year.

Birth Chart

We do not have a birth time for Ben Whishaw, so can only analyse his chart from the perspective of Noon on his day of birth.  He was born under the sign of Libra, with Pluto exactly conjunct his Sun in that sign, giving him depth to his performances.  At the same time, Neptune, conjunct his Moon in Sagittarius, brings emotional sensitivity to his performances.  It is no wonder he has won so many awards.  He has Mercury loosely conjunct Uranus, which gives him the intuition to pick up what is required in the moment, so he would be a gift to a director.  He has, himself done some directing work.  His ruling planet Venus trines Chiron, giving him healing qualities.  He has Jupiter conjunct Saturn, so may suffer from the legendary Libran indecisiveness, but also does have the Jupiter sextile Uranus entrepreneurial spirit.

Life and Career

At 42 years of age, he is a mere youngster.  Born in Clifton, Bedforshire, he was one of twin boys.  He started out in Youth Theatre, then graduated from RADA in 2003.  By 2005 he was nominated in awards for his portrayal of Hamlet.  He played Keith Richards in a biopic about Brian Jones, and played Bob Dylan in 2007.  Watching the BAFTA Awards, I was musing how an actor can play so many different roles, so convincingly.  He has half his planets (5) in the Mutable signs (Versatility).  In preparing this blog, I came across the following quote from Ben Whishaw, which provides a clue to the answer:

“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.”

There are three roles which have stood out for me, but many others which he has accomplished with great skill

John Keats

Ben Whishaw first came to my attention, and became my new favourite actor, when he appeared in the film “Bright Star” written and directed by Jane Campion, which screened in 2009.  He played John Keats, who happens to be my favourite poet!  The making of the film and its success will have coincided with his first Saturn Return, and is likely to have been a fulfilment of that.  As mentioned, in the analysis of his birth chart, he has the Pluto/Sun depth and the Moon/Neptune sensitivity for his performances.  In his synastry with Keats, there is plenty of scope to play the poet sympathetically and warmly: Keats’ Moon is exactly opposite Whishaw’s Neptune,  their Venuses are exactly sextile, Keats’ Mars is exactly conjunct Whishaw’s Jupiter, and Keats’ Ascendant is exactly conjunct Whishaw’s Venus.

Paddington 1 and 2

Hubby, with his television next door, has watched the films Paddington 1 and Paddington 2 umpteen times!  I like them, too, especially the dulcet and humble tones of Paddington as enounced by Ben Whishaw!

But his finest hour surely has to be when Paddington took tea with the Queen at the Jubilee last year.  And last Sunday, that took the award for Most Memorable Moment of the Year, deservedly so.  His delivery as the character of one of Britain’s best loved bears (other bears are available) is exquisite.  And it’s a lovely moment to remember the Queen by, as they each produced a marmalade sandwich they kept in handy places.  On that day, 4th June 2022, Ben’s transits were:

Uranus opposite his Mercury (mental excitement for him); Uranus square his Nodal Axis (surprising the nation); Uranus on his Chiron in Taurus (healing through laughter and surprise!); and Pluto trine his Jupiter (a lucky break, of great moment).

Adam Kay

Then last year Ben played doctor Adam Kay in “This is Going to Hurt” in the autobiographical drama written by the latter.  It was fast-paced and entertaining, hilarious in parts, but with a very serious message about the difficulty of working in the NHS, and containing a heart-wrenching twist in the tale.  Again, Ben was utterly believable in this role, and the series itself was brilliant.

The Synastry between Adam Kay and Ben Whishaw is nothing short of extraordinary:

Their Suns are exactly trine, Kay’s Sun exactly trines Whishaw’s Pluto, their Mercuries are exactly trine, Kay’s Mars is sextile Whishaw’s Mercury, Kay’s Saturn squares Whishaw’s Neptune, Kay’s Neptune exactly sextiles Whishaw’s Sun, and their Neptunes are exactly conjunct ( being born the same year, within six months of each other); finally, Kay’s Neptune is exactly sextile Whishaw Pluto.

The transits for last Sunday’s accolade(s) included: Mars sextile Ben’s natal Jupiter in Virgo (a recognition) and Neptune opposite his natal Jupiter in Virgo (charisma).

Does Ben Whishaw pick these iconic roles, or do they pick him (karmically or otherwise)?  And, having picked them, could anyone have played them better?  Could I be more of a fan?

“Bright star, would I were stedfast as thou art –

Not in lone splendour hung aloft the night…”

~ John Keats

Aspects

In the early hours of this morning, Pluto was opposing Mars.  It must have been very stimulating, as I didn’t get a wink of sleep, though my fitbit contests that.  It may be that I was over-stimulated by watching a Pet Shop Boys concert well over midnight, the beats thumping through my head all night long.  A Pluto-Mars opposition can bring conflict, tempers, and incident-proneness.  If you slept, you may have contained that energy within a vivid dream.  Or if you are living in other parts of the world, you may have had to deal with this energy during your waking hours.  The good news is that the peak of it has passed, however it manifested, or didn’t manifest, in your life.

The second feature of the day, the Sun’s entry into Gemini, occurred at breakfast time (unless you are one who has a Sunday lie-in).  The earthy preoccupations of Taurus may give way to a need for Communication and lightness of heart.  ‘Tis the season of chatting to the neighbours over the garden fence.  In the month of Sun in Gemini any kind of communication goes, writing your book, dealing with your documentation.  It all aids the general connectivity and circulation, which enables society to flourish.  It brings communities together.

At lunchtime, the Sun trines Pluto, so there may be the sense of an ending.  You may have to make a decision which brings about change.It is time to construct a new psychological mindset: one which is creative but also bears in mind the changes and cycles which are transforming our lives at this time. You may have felt that you haven’t got very far with a goal, but may receive an indication in this period that you have done better than you thought, your patience is rewarded, or that a pipe dream could become a going concern.  You may have cause to remember fondly the dearly departed.

Tomorrow (Monday, 22nd), around 6 a.m., there is a sextile between the Sun and Mars.  Things may seem more straightforward.  You may feel you can get things moving again, if they had stalled.  The energy and fuel is in supply, and the will is there.  This aspect favours the masculine elements of life, e.g. men, cars and dogs.  There may also be an aspect of competitiveness about it.

Tuesday (23rd) also starts early, with a square between Mars and Jupiter.  Excitement may spill over into uncontrolled action.  This combination can produce high jinx, fun and games, or just sheer over the top enthusiasm allied with energy – that’s what I would normally expect.  Emotions may be volatile.  Look for enthusiastic activity and fiery exchanges in your personal environment, and channel the energy constructively.

Venus squares Chiron on Wednesday (24th), which is sensitive for healing and relationship.  If there is an emotional crisis, then healing could be near at hand.  Equally, natural remedies may be readily found for minor physical ailments.  An aspect for care of the self and others.

We end the week with a vibrant sextile between Venus and Uranus, at breakfast time on Friday (26th).  There may be a social sparkle somewhere in your life, even if only on social media.  It’s a good day, for the most part, for socializing and meeting new people.  Meetings are significant with the combination of Venus and Uranus, and sometimes they can be strange and spooky with an air of serendipity.

The week in bullet points:

  • Today – confrontational; chatty; psychological transformation
  • Tomorrow – go ahead
  • Tuesday – over the top
  • Wednesday – soreness in relationships; need of healing
  • Friday – vibrant socially

 

Date: May 21st, 2023 · Comments RSS · Tags: Celebrities