Ben Whishaw

I seriously must have a thing for underrated yet very talented performers (how oxymoronic) of their time - a la Cillian Murphy. I probably also have a thing for actors who don't look like the typical Hollywood hearttrobs, with pretty features and uber cool slicky hair. Zac Efron? Rob Patz anyone? I seriously think Ben Whishaw is one of the finest actor of his generation and yes, a pretty cool and unconventional-looking one at that.

Yes, granted he ain't that tall (1.75m or 5'9, for the record) and he does come across as scrawny waifish but dude has this amazing charisma about him. I mean, there must be a reason why he was handpicked as Q in the upcoming James Bond film. And plus, he looks good in both modern and period dramas...

I LOVE him in Bright Star. He was so brilliant and amazing as John Keats (though he totally creeped me out in Perfume: The Story of a Murderer - but then again, thats what good actors do. They are able to immerse themselves into different characters and I guess if someone does a really good job in making you like them and abhor their absolute presence in another, I guess thats considered a job well done). 

By the way, if you haven't watch Bright Star, you totally should. It's a period drama by the Academy-Award winning director Jane Campion which also stars Aussie actress Abbie Cornish. It basically delves on the ill-fated love affair between the struggling poet Keats and his one true love Fanny Brawne. Expect to tear at the end of the movie. I watched it during a flight to Melbourne and I was trying so hard to contain my tears so that the dude beside me wouldn't think I've gone bonkers. I can still remember the scene where Fanny Brawne broke down and collapsed into her mother's arms upon learning about Keats' death. And the part when she went 'I can't breathe' over and over again was such a haunting moment. If you need more convincing, here's the movie's trailer. Check it out, you will definitely not regret it!