Thomas Brodie-Sangster
In Netlfix series
The Queen’s Gambit
Interview by Colter Ruland.
Like many this year, I sought moments of escape. So when the Netflix limited series The Queen’s Gambit began streaming, I immediately fell into its world full of idiosyncrasies and moving depictions of loneliness, obsession, and the nature of trust. Though fictional and set in the 1960s, it’s the show’s fully realized characters that remind us of what it means—as Thomas Brodie-Sangster, who stars as Benny, puts it—to be open and tender with one another.
Thomas Brodie-Sangster is a unique English actor who stars in The Queen’s Gambit, which recently became the most-watched scripted limited series on the streaming service to date. He has also starred in the Netflix limited series Godless and major franchises like The Maze Runner trilogy and Game of Thrones. I had the pleasure of asking him about his new role, the world of chess, and how he balances his creativity and public life.
It doesn’t seem right to start any interview this year without first asking how you’re doing. So, how are you?
Thank you for asking. I’m doing very well. It’s a strange time in the world at the moment but I am enjoying getting on with life and spending time with family.
How have you been keeping yourself preoccupied this year?
I have been busy building my house and making furniture to put in it. Lots of DIY! I’ve been doing many drives out into the countryside in my old Citroën and enjoying seeing the natural world thrive in a time when human activity has slowed to the point where our impact on nature has noticeably improved. That’s been one of my favourite things to witness this year.
What typically draws you to a character? Is it more difficult playing certain roles over others?
A good script and story primarily. If the world which is being painted is a believable one, then the process of finding the soul of a character is much easier. Discovering how they fit into the world and also uncovering the parts of myself which I can relate to is one of the best things about being an actor. You end up learning something new about yourself.
Some of your more recent roles—I’m thinking of The Maze Runner trilogy and Game of Thrones—find you in some pretty high-stake scenarios. Your new role as Benny Watts in The Queen’s Gambit feels like a departure.
It was very nice to be thrown into a world where the worst thing that could happen to my character is losing his king to his opponent. Still, the stakes are very high in the ultra competitive world of chess. For me It doesn’t matter the genre of film. There is drama to be found in all genres. I enjoy mixing up the projects which I am a part of. This keeps me enthused and excited to step onto set again. I am very lucky to have played a real mix of different people in hugely different projects. I look forward to what the next one will throw at me.
What were your first impressions of Benny?
What a cool weirdo! He is cocky and confident but also talented and even a little vulnerable at times. He actively chooses to set himself apart from the rest of the chess crowd and is unapologetically himself throughout the story.
Benny stands out amongst his fellow chess players and possibly our own preconceptions about chess. I mean, he looks like a gunslinger. What do you think your character’s atypical style and attitude add to this fictional world?
I think he represents the power in justified self-confidence. He knows himself very well. He understands his strengths as well as his weaknesses and this understanding, mixed with his rather outrageous style and presentation, makes him into quite an intimidating yet fascinating opponent. That said, there is also a hefty dose of ego thrown into the mix, too. But anyone who chooses to compete must have to use their ego as a weapon to win and dominate. However, he is able to show compassion, too, and that is what makes him an intriguing and likeable character. He sees the raw talent in Beth and wants to help her achieve her full potential.
Benny is a nice counterpoint to Beth, who is constantly deflecting conversations that get too close to revealing how she feels. Benny, on the other hand, tells it like it is. Is there something they could both learn from one another?
He comes from a very different upbringing to Beth. She has grown up with a lack of love and struggles with trusting others. I think Benny is fascinated by how other people go about life, and because he is so confident with his sense of self, he is able to look right through anybody else’s insecurities or social shields and then able to disarm them instantly. This makes him a formidable player but also a beautiful and fascinating individual. I feel that Benny sees through the defences that Beth has had to put up to protect herself in life and is able to view her full potential. This is what draws them together I think.
The world of chess can often come across as calculated and stoic. The show does a great deal to instead underscore the emotional dilemmas beneath these characters. It’s not just about their strategies, it’s about what’s driving these players and their obsessions. Is there anything that drives you in a similar way? Anything you obsess over?
I love to draw, design, build, and create. However, it can be very hard to switch my mind off at night from the ideas and thoughts which swirl around it. I love that my mind wants to create but it can be annoying when it’s 5AM and I’m still obsessing over building a high performance 289 Mustang engine or how to make air travel between countries instantaneous or the design of a double hinged coffee table mechanism work etc… etc… etc…
Do you play chess now? Did you before?
I could play a bit before, but not very well at all. I learned to love it much more during The Queen’s Gambit, but I’m still not very good at all. It’s not really my game, but I see the beauty in it.
How do you navigate a role like this where so much of the drama of chess feels solitary?
Just like any other role really. Find the essence of the character. What makes him tick. Work on his mannerisms and try to incorporate them into the dynamics of the scenes with the director. Bounce off of my fellow actors and have fun until a little magic happens. And hope that the cameras were rolling.
For a show that spends a good amount of time exploring the nature of solitude, it’s interesting that it ends with most of the characters (yours included) joining together to help Beth in her final chess matches. What do you hope we take away from this story?
I hope that people enjoy this show and take away whatever they need from it for themselves. I love that there is no “baddy” other than the internal demons that try to haunt us all. It is only through trust, understanding, love, and sharing the load of life with others that we are able to best deal with these internal demons. Openness and tenderness are just as important as drive and ambition. Success comes when you are able to balance self interest with compassion for others.
You are, admirably, a very private person. Do you think art has to balance its private creativity with its inevitable public life once it’s out in the world?
I feel that the drive to do something truly creative from a place within one’s self is what creates art. Once it becomes art it is then something for all to experience. It becomes the property of an audience. However, people then want to know more about the person and place where this art originated from. The thing is that this is the part of a person which is personal, tender, fragile and this is the part of myself which I like to keep private. I feel this part should be protected and nourished so it can grow and continue to create. I like to be private in my day-to-day life so that I can throw all of myself in my work for the world to see. Also I believe that privacy is something which is becoming more and more scarce these days and is something to be aware of.
Is there any one character you’ve always wanted to play? Any story that’s stuck with you throughout the years?
I have always loved the story of World War Two. These were days of huge unrest and turmoil throughout the world yet there was a scene of togetherness in a time of despicable segregation and bigotry. In many ways, there are lessons from then that apply to our world today. I would love to play a soldier or a pilot during the war. I have always loved aeroplanes and the freedom of flight.
What’s next for you?
Nothing lined up yet, but we shall have to see how the state of the world develops in 2021. I hope to be back on a film set soon. I miss that environment.
