Ben Kingsley is a true chameleon, able to play characters of just about any ethnicity with ease. It has led to a truly extraordinary career full of accolades, as Kingsley has played more famous and historical figures than just about any actor on the planet. Now he can add the surrealist artist Salvador Dali to that list in the new film, Daliland.
The film centers on the strained relationship between Dali and the love of his life, his wife Barbara, played by Barbara Sukowa, most recently seen in Air and White Noise. The film is seen through the eyes of Dali’s young assistant who is looking to make his own way in the art world.
Also in the cast is Christopher Briney, Rupert Graves, Suki Waterhouse, Andreja Pejic and Ezra Miller as young Salvador Dali.
The film is directed by Mary Harron, best known for films such as American Psycho, The Notorious Bettie Page, and I Shot Andy Warhol. There’s a certain quirkiness to her work that could be interesting here if Kingsley is given room to have some fun with the role.
Daliland opens on June 9th.
Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Mary Harron (I SHOT ANDY WARHOL, AMERICAN PSYCHO), DALÍLAND stars Ben Kingsley as the titular Salvador Dalí, one of the most world-renowned artists of the 20th century and focuses on the later years of the strange and fascinating marriage between Dalí and his wife, Gala (Barbara Sukowa), as their seemingly unshakable bond begins to stress and fracture. Set in New York and Spain in 1974, the film is told through the eyes of James (Christopher Briney), a young assistant keen to make his name in the art world, who helps the eccentric and mercurial Dalí prepare for a big gallery show. Rupert Graves, Suki Waterhouse, Andreja Pejic and Ezra Miller also star.
