We sat down with Ben Fox, star of a new adaptation of The Passenger, that premieres at the Finborough Theatre for a five-week limited season running until 15th March 2025. Get tickets here.
Your characters, including Gustav Becker and Franz, exist within a world of escalating danger and shifting loyalties. How did you prepare for the role, and what were the biggest challenges in embodying these characters?
Apart from the usual reading of the book and the play (obvs!) there was a bit of history revision, just to get a flavour and chronology of what was happening in those extraordinary times. As an actor however, in this play everything is happening to Otto. It is entirely his story that we are concerned with. All these characters he comes across in his mad journey, whether friendly or not, inform what he does next whether consciously or unconsciously. So, all four of us – apart from Robert – as actors, have to find the reason for the scene; what is this scene doing to Otto? How does it add something different to his story? Of course, one has to ask that of any scene in any play as an actor, but more so in this. We are the Fates! No one else is really key to the story other than how they move Otto or emphasize his situation. It’s a bit like Alice in Wonderland. And just as nuts!
The play relies heavily on psychological tension and a sense of being constantly pursued. As a performer, how do you sustain that intensity across a five-week run?
Ask me in five weeks! Ha! You can be the best actors in the world but if the script is rubbish, then there’s nothing you can do. Luckily for us we’ve got Nadya Menuhin who’s phenomenal and also, what she doesn’t know about baked goods isn’t worth knowing. Seriously though, it has to start with the script and if you have that then it makes our job a great deal easier whether that be dealing with tension, humour, fear, romance, whatever. Other than that, an actor can help with the right energy and laser sharp focus with the words and movements.
You’ve had an incredibly diverse career, from classical theatre to pantomime and high-profile screen roles like Star Wars: Andor and The Crown. How does working on The Passenger compare to your past experiences?
Theatre-wise, I have done a great deal of music-based performance stuff, playing and singing etc. Which is brilliant, but I enjoy the surgical precision of this kind of script work. I love doing work like this. It asks a lot of one because it’s intense, physical, it’s emotional, it’s intelligent and it’s provocative. It will get people talking, which is exciting. Also, it demands focus and sharpness, we have to work as a team and everyone in the rehearsal room has brought their own gorgeous creative warmth and camaraderie which is not as common as we’d all like it to be in this business. So, the process has been immersive and full-on and very satisfying and fun. The people in the room make it though, and this lot are fantastic. I’ve just finished doing Panto so coming into something like this is like chalk and cheese – but variety is the spice of life isn’t it?
I haven’t yet been asked to shoot a blaster though, which I did in Andor (Star Wars thing). I might have to chat to Tim about that.
The production’s creative team—including Tim Supple, Joseph Alford, and Hannah Schmidt—brings a wealth of expertise. How has their vision shaped your performance and the overall feel of the play?
Tim, Joseph and Hannah are a committed and passionate trio of people. They are serious about what they do and that’s always innervating because you know you’re going to learn things, and you can trust them to guide you and that becomes fun because its engrossing and interesting. It’s not always the case you find yourself in that position. An actor can easily rest on their laurels when working on a scene “Oh, I think I’ve got that scene under my belt now”. Tim will never rest in asking questions with forensic detail. He’s like the Terminator! But it means you can never rest either and though that can be exhausting you are compelled to look at things from different angles and perspectives and it makes everything richer and ultimately more rewarding than if you just sat back. That just makes you flabby mentally and physically. In general, this show has been a unique and beautiful experience and I can’t wait for the run to start!