Ben Kingsley Credits Cretton and Guest With Freedom

Ben Kingsley says Destin Daniel Cretton and Andrew Guest create a rare working environment on “Wonder Man,” balancing hard precision with deep joy—then explains why returning to his role felt surprising and creatively exhilarating.

On the set, Ben Kingsley doesn’t just talk about performance—he talks about space. The kind of space where an actor can take flight.

In a conversation featured ahead of the IndieWire Honors Spring 2026 ceremony—set for June 4 in Los Angeles—Kingsley described the “deep joy” he experiences working with “Wonder Man” creators Destin Daniel Cretton and Andrew Guest. Curated and selected by IndieWire’s editorial team. IndieWire Honors spotlights the creators. artisans. and performers behind television series “well worth toasting. ” with new interviews and tributes leading into the event.

Kingsley framed the creators’ partnership in musical terms. “Destin and Andrew’s harmony is really remarkable to behold,” he said, describing how the “sum of their parts” becomes an effect greater than either person alone.

He then contrasted that environment with a harsh remark he said he once heard from a director he worked with. Kingsley recalled the director quoting a “European director” who said. “I die a thousand times a day on the film set.” In Kingsley’s retelling. the quote wasn’t about craft—it was about control. witnessing actors and their characters “behaving in a way that he had not anticipated. ” remaining “inflexible.”.

By comparison, Kingsley said he doesn’t experience dread with Cretton and Guest. “I would say that Destin and Andrew. they chuckle a thousand times a day. ” he said—implying not chaos or play-acting. but the calm confidence to let actors do something alive. “You can offer them. ” Kingsley said. “without ever straying from their beautiful dialogue and without ever straying from the mandate of the scene. your own performance.”.

He described a process where creation happens in real time. Actors, he said, can “maneuver within your portrayal,” inventing “as you go along” while still building the character in front of the camera.

For Kingsley, that balance is the point. Cretton and Guest, he argued, don’t treat storytelling as something boxed in before filming. They have “a mandate to deliver to the audience something utterly unique. utterly endearing. ” and “quite challenging. and intelligent.” Kingsley said it’s “a gift to the audience’s intelligence” and a gift to everyone working on the show. including cameramen and actors.

He added a warning about what happens when that openness gets smudged. “Personally, I find that if it gets blurred, the audience has nothing to watch,” Kingsley said.

That belief ties directly to why his return mattered. Kingsley called “Returning to this role” a “surprise. ” explaining that he thought Trevor had finished his journey after “Iron Man 3.” He said the excitement for the series wasn’t something built from preconceptions about what might happen—it emerged during the work itself.

Kingsley also addressed what makes a character feel truly separate from the performer. He referenced an admired actor who said “all our work is in some sense autobiographical. ” then pushed back on a common interpretation. To Kingsley. “autobiographical” often gets reduced to actors “playing themselves. ” and he said. “Not interested.” What he values. he said. is “the leap from me to the portrait I’m creating.”.

In his account, Cretton and Guest listened closely to the invented material he brought to the role. Kingsley said he “invented his mother. Dorothy. ” along with “all that. ” describing it as entirely his creation for Trevor’s backstory. He said the creators “gracefully incorporated it into their show. ” while still keeping the leap between him and the character “clear. ” without blurring it.

He compared the acting experience to a trapeze. “When you watch a trapeze artist, what do you watch?” Kingsley asked. “They let go of one trapeze. They spin in the air. and they catch the other.” He said he lets go of himself. spins. and catches his character—adding that it’s that “spin through the air” the audience pays to see.

For all the warmth in Kingsley’s description, he stressed the work is demanding. “I won’t say it’s fun with them. It’s very hard work. ” he said. because he wants “precise targets” and something “new and sparkling.” But he clarified that the “thousand chuckles a day” he described aren’t the loud sort—no “Hey. guys. let’s have fun” attitude that he said “That’s death to a film set.” His version of joy. he said. is a promise of hard work leading to something “going to be joyful.”.

Kingsley summed up “Wonder Man” as “a very accurate and very affectionate look at a job that’s extremely hard to define and describe.” He said the creators strike close to the balance the workplace demands—“moments of tremendous vulnerability” and moments of triumph. along with “the isolation” and “the camaraderie.” He called attention to “the gains and the losses. ” “the individual journey. ” and the role of imagination.

He said he “very much look[s] forward to the opportunity to be in their company again,” because their approach “accelerates and uplifts things rather than diminishes or tarnishes them.”

“Wonder Man” is now streaming on Disney+.

Ben Kingsley Wonder Man Destin Daniel Cretton Andrew Guest Disney+ IndieWire Honors Spring 2026 Trevor Yahya Abdul-Mateen II